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As we approach a new year, I thought it was a good time to share a few things I’ve learned about mindset this year.
What Happened in 2019
As some of you know, I was unexpectedly laid off from my full-time job in June due to business closure. Instead of looking for a different job, I took a pretty big leap and launched my own digital marketing company, Digital Darcy. I offer a variety of digital marketing services to help small business owners increase their online presence.
I spent the remainder of 2019 getting everything set up for my business, getting into the groove of working from a home office again (I did so previously for 9 years), and securing my first clients.
In the middle of all this, I learned a lot. A LOT. I am grateful for the amazing wisdom and insight from my Monat team colleagues, business advising from my awesome advisor at the Small Business Development Center, coaching from my friend Jenna who is a certified executive coach, and a variety of other training I did on my own.
Today, I am looking at things a bit differently than I did a year ago, and I wanted to share some of it with you!
Why New Year’s Resolutions Don’t Work
How many times have you set a New Year’s resolution on January 1, gone all-in with it for a few weeks, and then let it go? I know I have. To actually make a change in your life, it needs to be more of an actual lifestyle change.
You need to actively decide that you want to change that thing in your life. You want to exercise more, drink less alcohol, eat healthier, have less screen time, be more patient … whatever it is. Make it a habit, incorporate it into your daily life.
If you miss a day, try again the next. If you get off track, start over. It can’t be a “resolution” – it needs to be an active decision to improve whatever aspect (or aspects) of your life YOU want.
What is Mindset?
Mindset, simply put, is your overall attitude about life and the way you look at things. This fall, our Monat team was challenged to listen to the recording of Earl Nightingale’s “The Strangest Secret” every day for 45 days.
It turned out that the recording played through in exactly the same amount of time it takes me to walk my dogs 2 miles. I didn’t listen to it all 45 days, but I listened to it many times. It is such a powerful speech! The gist is that “We become what we think about.” If you think you can, you will. If you think you can’t, you won’t. It’s as simple as that.
One of my high school basketball coaches used to make us memorize motivational poems. To start practice each day, my teammates and I took turns reciting it to him. The one I remember the most is the poem “Don’t Quit” by John Greenleaf Whittier. Another one I remember is “Thinking” by Walter Wintle. I didn’t know it then, but he was teaching us about mindset.
What is a “Word of the Year”?
Having a “word of the year” is basically an intentional way to incorporate whatever mindset you want into your life, daily for the year. The word that you choose should embody what it is you want to accomplish, how you want to feel, and how you want your year to be.
Grace
The first year I selected a “word of the year” was 2018, and my word was grace. This was the year I launched PreservingMySanity.com, and I chose grace because I wanted to strive to have grace with myself. Having a full-time job while having time to do all the things I wanted to accomplish with this blog was hard, as I knew it would be. I had specific goals and schedules, and they didn’t always happen. No matter how much I got done, there was always more on my to-do list. It was important to have grace with myself and understand my limits.
Intention
The word I chose for 2019 was intention. I didn’t know it at the time, but it was exactly the word I needed for the year. It’s weird how the word you choose does end up defining your year in all kinds of ways. Intention enabled me to keep a level head when I was laid off in June, to set a plan in place for launching my new Digital Darcy business, to work consistently from a to-do list and know that things would be okay.
Confidence
For 2020, the word I have chosen is confidence. In building my business and finding mentors and colleagues to learn from, the message that keeps repeating itself is about knowing your worth and being confident in your skills and what you have to offer. If you don’t think what you have to offer is important and valuable, how will anyone else feel confident in their decision to hire and pay you? I’m bringing confidence into 2020 with me as I continue to build both my marketing business and this blog.
My Annual Bracelet
To accompany my word of the year, I buy myself a bracelet each year featuring a quote with my selected word of that year. I love buying handmade things from their creators on Etsy. It’s especially cool when they make custom pieces for me because I know I’m wearing something that no one else is. (Except the one seller liked my idea so much, she decided to make and sell more just like it. Ha!)
In 2018, I placed a custom order with a jewelry maker in Texas to engrave a line from my favorite poem onto a vintage knife blade mounted on a leather cuff. I have loved Wendell Berry’s “The Peace of Wild Things” for as long as I can remember, and I had her engrave, “For a time, I rest in the grace of the world and am free.”
In 2019, the maker who made my awesome bracelet the year before was no longer available on Etsy, so I found a new maker – Spoon Me Maryland. She engraved the words, “Live with Intention” for me on a metal piece mounted on a hand-painted leather cuff bracelet.
For 2020, I chose a mixed metal cuff bracelet from Just Kismet that says, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.”
I don’t wear the bracelet(s) every day, but I do wear them often. They are a pretty and important reminder of my goals for the year.
The bracelet I got for 2020 looks nice worn with my leather cuff bracelets from 2019 and 2018. I don’t wear the leather cuffs at the same time, but I will alternate wearing them with my 2020 bracelet.
Vision Boards
Having a vision board is another important piece of your mindset and the importance of visualization. I created my first vision board in 2019. A great way to start your day is by looking at it for 10 minutes. Visualize how you will feel when each thing on your vision board is accomplished.
What do you put on it?
You want a combination of small, medium, and large goals on your vision board. The things on your vision board should be things that you will be able to take off. Photos are fabulous to give you the visual image, but words are ok too. The things on your board should also be measurable in some way, so you know when to take them off and create new goals. You don’t want to have only large goals on there, because then you could get discouraged if none of them happen right away.
Some of the things on mine include:
- Replacing my previous full-time income with my marketing business
- Finishing my eCornell marketing certificate program
- Writing a book
- Making a daily habit for exercise
As far as how to make it, it doesn’t have to be anything expensive or fancy. I used a recycled photo frame for mine and taped my items to it. The important thing is that you get your vision board created and start a practice of using it daily.
Affirmations
Another great way to improve your mindset and encourage yourself is by using affirmations. Create a list of affirmations to say to yourself, and do this daily. You can read them to yourself, but hearing them is more powerful. There are also apps you can get on your phone to record yourself saying them, and you can play them back each day.
A few examples:
- I pay close attention to what goes into my body.
- I am a compassionate and kind person.
- I am grateful for the good in my life.
- I surround myself with positive people.
- I don’t buy things I don’t need.
- I am a strong and independent woman.
- I see the good in all people and situations.
Have a Great Year!
I’m excited to take these mindset tools with me into the new year and see where 2020 takes me. Feel free to share about your 2020 goals in the comments below!
