We are almost past the holiday season, but I before you sit down or even think about your 2022 New Year’s resolutions, it’s time to celebrate YOUR accomplishments in 2021!!
Hi everyone, I’m Sharri Harmel, Editor and Chief Creative of the Extraordinary Women Magazine and community.
Our sole focus in the Extraordinary Women Community is to support women like you to start living their dreams and create live that matter. We do that by highlighting interesting women in the magazine, conversations within our private FB group and even courses to get you dream ready. I’ve been a coach for over 20 years and my dream was to create a bigger platform so that all women could step into their unique and interesting next chapters.
Welcome to the EW Magazine and Community.
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Episode 67: A Toast to Your 2021 Accomplishments!
Let’s all get ourselves a cup or glass of something yummy, a journal, a lovely pen, and if you are in the northern hemisphere, a cozy wrap and start writing down those accomplishments.
Now, before you say … but Sharri I didn’t accomplish anything BIG in 2021, I want you to remember all the little steps, the baby steps as I call them, that brought you closer to what you want in your life. Honestly, those baby steps are even more important the the final accomplishments because your big accomplishments would never happen without the tiny, baby steps AND we get most of our learnings from our little steps.
But why is acknowledging our accomplishments so important before creating our plans for the coming year?
Acknowledging what we accomplished actually adds to our self-confidence. Most of us spend lots of time thinking about what we didn’t get done today, yesterday or at this time of year, the past year. At the end of almost every day, we are almost conditioned to think about what we didn’t get done and what needs to go on the list for tomorrow. Rarely do you take even five minutes to acknowledge yourself for everything you accomplished in that one day.
So, this is what today’s conversation is all about. Acknowledging yourself for every step – small and big- that you accomplished in 2021 AND just as important, making a list of everything you learned in 2021.
I promise you that when you do this, you’ll feel not only feel empowered, but I’ll even say proud of all you did …. and ladies that sets you up to believe that your goals and dreams for 2022 are really and truly possible.
But wait- I’m sure you’re thinking, did that woman just say to also make note of what we learned in 2021?? YES! Failures are not really failures unless you learned NOTHING from the experience and that never, ever happens. If you acknowledge what you learned from what didn’t work, suddenly what you could have labeled a “failure” becomes a gift.
For example, when I launched my first issue of the magazine in April of 2021, I titled it “Be the Real You.” I was so sure of that name, I even filed and received copyright for the name …. but after two issues, it felt weird. The name didn’t feel right. It didn’t roll off my tongue when I shared the magazine with others. BIG clue!
So, I spent a good deal of time asking myself why it didn’t feel right, and I asked a lot of women- tell me what first comes to your mind when you hear “Be the Real You?”
So, I sat with that uncomfortable name and did more than a little market research. If you’re trying to get a business started and unsure of the name, logo, colors, focus, target market, you name it, go to social media and specifically any FB groups you are in and do a little market research. That immediate access to people who might be your target audience is one of the good aspects of social media.
By the third issue of the magazine, I had found the new name, and everything fell into place. The name of the magazine, podcast, and community all changed to Extraordinary Women. Yes, I had to change all my messaging and website which cost me money, but I don’t look back at it as a failure. I learned a lot through the process, most importantly to trust my instincts when something doesn’t feel right. I’m not a marketing expert and sometimes we have to get out of our own heads, right? The name Extraordinary Women fits because I never have to explain who the magazine is for or about when I’m talking with people.
It’s about and for women like you! I learned from marketing experts much smarter than me, that the name of whatever it is we are putting out in the world must have a clear message!!
So, at the top of my learning list is ** Launched and then re-named my magazine community!
The name of the magazine though was a small piece of the overall dream to start a magazine community. I share this because this is another example of how important the small steps and pieces are to the whole. If one little part or step isn’t working, it may not mean the entire dream is wrong. It usually means some tweaking is needed.
If your dream is to write a book but you can’t seem to find the time, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t write a book. It probably means you need some help to decide how important that dream is to you and then how to rearrange your schedule, so you have the time to write. Those small steps forward and backwards give us information and feedback we need to know whether or not we are on the right path but also whether there is just some tweaking needed.
When I work with women who are struggling to find their next step…their next path…. we often will plan out three scenarios- #1 is usually doing nothing significantly different in their work or direction but finding new steps or ways to make it more comfortable, more interesting, more fun.
The second scenario is usually going for the big dream, which usually requires a major change of some kind.
And the third scenario is going for the wild, out there, HUGE life pivot or dream.
In all of the three scenarios, we start with the first steps, the baby steps…what they need to know, how it will change their life, what it looks like in one year, two, etc. BUT always, keeping in mind that those baby steps are what gives us the necessary feedback to decide if that particular dream scenario needs tweaking or is replaced by something else.
I share this because I want you to create your accomplishments and learnings list BEFORE you get started on your 2022 dream resolutions.
We are training our brains and our mindsets. If you make a list of your resolutions for 2022 and some on the list are the same as 2021, your mindset will have to doubt your ability to make it happen.
BUT if you acknowledge your learnings from the past year…. acknowledge the little steps you made along the way to bring you closer to that dream…. now the brain and your mindset say- great, I’m even better prepared to make this my year to reach that goal, to make that dream happen.
So, as I said in the beginning of this conversation, find yourself a cozy spot, make a warm drink, pull out your journal and pen and start writing down ALL your accomplishments from 2021!!
I’ve shared one of mine so if you’re in the EW FB group post your biggest learning from the year. Writing it down and then sharing with our community will make all the difference in your 2022 dream experience, you’ll see.
Outro:
Thank you for joining me today. If you liked our conversation, please give me a review, and do come back for more!
The Extraordinary Women Magazine Community and this podcast are tools to help you on your journey to you being the leading lady in your own life and living your dreams not just imagining them.
There is a lot of dream talk, but what makes me and this magazine different is I’ve been a coach- a real coach for over 20 years and ALL that experience helps me to create what you want and need. And because I’m a coach, I’m a super good listener, so your experiences, your wants and needs are what drives the content of the magazine, the conversations we have in our FB group, and even this podcast!
This isn’t about using the famous or even the local celebrity or influencer as our guideposts…. This is about extraordinary women like you and me. Women who make things happen by figuring out what you want and using your gifts in various ways to build what it is you want to create!
Wondering if you’ll fit in with the group? Married or solo, kids grown or still at home. A corporate career, a budding entrepreneur, a stay-at-home mother or even retired, you’ll fit right in. I’ve coached women and been in most of those roles myself.
Go to Extraordinary Women Magazine.com and join us by clicking the subscribe button. We are a magazine community! I don’t know how long this price will last but for now it’s only $29.99, so do join us. I’d love to see your name added to the group.
Thank you for your precious time today and as I say to my friends and neighbors here in Paris…. À Bientôt!
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