Well, it’s hard to believe, but we are in the final freaking days of 2020!
YAAAYYYYY!! 🙌💃🎉✨🎈👯♀️
It feels SO. DANG. GOOD.
I’ve kind of been wishing to be here at the end of 2020 for, like, nine months. I bet you have, too.
It’s been a LONG year, to say the least.
This week I’ve been reflecting on what a year it’s actually been – and I thought I’d share some of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in 2020. (Let me know in the comments below if you had similar experiences!)
2020 Lesson #1: It’s OK to slow down.
When I look back on it now, I have no idea how I was going at that crazy pace – for my whole life! And especially the last ten years..
Around this time last year, I was feeling like I had to keep running at a mad dash pace just to keep up…
Tons of travel.
Work commitments.
Family time + obligations.
A bazillion in-person appointments.
Building my biz.
Saying YES YES YES to every opportunity.
To be honest with you, it was taking a toll on me. I’m usually good with being on the go a lot, and working on lots of projects – both personal and for my biz – but this time last year I guess I was kind of…
“Disillusioned” may be the best word.
I had HUGGGGEEEE ambitions for 2020.
SO many aspirations for growth that in the early part of this year, I felt like I hit a wall. I headed into March feeling a little stuck and frustrated and then…
Well, you know.
The pandemic forced me to pause. We ALL had to, right? We all had that collective moment of having to STOP.
Here’s what that looked like for me…
Daily workout (aka my mental health care plan) - A thing of the past, since my fav cycle, yoga, and Pilates studios were forced to close – and most of them didn’t have anything online yet. 💩😭👎
Quarantine meant we all had to stay home. One by one, things got stripped out of my calendar. I kinda didn’t know what to do with myself at first.
But here’s what I got out of it…
2020 Lesson #2: I need human connection.
This pause let me see that I’d basically been turning off my primal human need for connection for so long I hadn’t realized how much I needed it.
Time with my husband and my daughter. Like REAL time. We actually got to talk. And work on fun projects together! It helped me see what I was missing out on by running around so much – focusing on fulfillment outside of myself.
All that has changed, my friend. I am still really busy, but now I prioritize my family time – my connection time – much higher on the list.
2020 Lesson #3: I need to nurture myself more.
Self-nurturing is an aspect of this slow down that’s become important to me.
Part of that means I want to WORK LESS. Not in terms of productivity, but in terms of busy-ness.
In fact, my goal for 2021 is a 6-hour workday. 🤣
I’m really going to try to do it! And I think I can… by applying the gameplan I started this year…
2020 Lesson #4: I can get more done with less effort.
My team is entirely remote, which means we were actually able to pivot to a “work from home” environment pretty easily! We were doing that already! But we have several moms in our crew, which means we had to navigate the same choppy waters together to find our new normal.
We discovered that the key to teamwork (and unparalleled growth) in 2020 is getting laser focused on what is important.
I focused on what I COULD do, instead of what I COULDN’T do anymore – and it made a MASSIVE difference!
And you know what… I actually got the same, if not better, results in my biz.
I learned how to scale better.
I recognized that I am only one person, which means there is only so much I can do and give in a day. My core team has been with me for years and they are TRULY AMAZING. The level of talent and dedication… I’m so so lucky.
But you know what?
They’re a limited resource too. And all of us were getting majorly burned out.
So, I knew it was time to invest in growing my team.
We brought on a few more resources and we were able to not only relieve some of the pressure, but we actually got things done way faster with less effort!
This “do more with less effort” thing has been my MANTRA for the last half of this year, and it’s definitely going to be a good one for 2021.
2020 Lesson #5: Rest is the magic ingredient for growth.
Yup, it’s that simple.
In fact, the idea of rest has influenced my work. In pretty much every aspect of my business, I weave in the concept of progressive rest and relaxation. Because it is absolutely VITAL to perform at your best every day.
Rest allows for creativity.
Have you ever said to yourself, “I need a creative idea RIGHT NOW!!” and it just happens? If you can do it like that, you are truly a magician. 🧙♀️🔮✨
I’ve found creativity doesn’t work when it’s confined. It needs space to breathe, to form… and it does that best in a relaxed state. That’s why so many people have strokes of brilliance in the shower, or while driving, or (for me) in a yoga class.
The secret I learned in letting go and accepting relaxation and down time is: I can actually accomplish way more.
Here’s why:
All those old ways of doing things were actually really inefficient.
I don’t have to say yes to everything. Because if I do, then there won’t be space for anything new.
I don’t have to be part of every decision. It’s ok to delegate and trust.
As a biz owner, you probably think you have to make every little decision – that you can’t give up control at all – because something bad will happen if you do.
Lemme tell ya, this is NOT the case.
Every moment you spend micromanaging your biz is a moment you are not growing it. I’ve learned to delegate much better this year and it’s freed up tons of my time.
And you know what? My biz didn’t fall apart. In fact, it actually got better – and grew in a freaking global pandemic! – because I loosened up the reins and brought in help for the areas I wasn’t absolutely required.
Relaxation is the key to wellness… in all areas of your life: biz, health, personal development, relationships.
I used to get mad when someone would tell me to chill the eff out.
Sound familiar? 😂
Now when I hear it, I actually pay attention.
I pause and run through my personal checklist:
9 times out of 10 I realize “OMG, I do need to chill the eff out!!”
So let me ask you this…
Do YOU need a chill pill? 🧊💊
When you look back at your year, would you say “relaxed” is a word you’d use to describe yourself?
I’m gonna guess 98% of you will say NO.
Now lemme tell ya: 2021 does NOT need to be a repeat of this year.
Meaning your health, your biz, your stress level, your relationships… They don’t HAVE to be wound as tightly as they have been, OK?
There is a way to create space (and relaxation and rest) into your routine on the regular – and still be as productive and successful as you’ve ever been.
If you want to know more about this, then I have a special invitation for you.
As part of my 2020 gift guide, I spruced up my Your Whole You online course – with a 30% discount.
This course has an ENTIRE module with tools, routines, and product recommendations to help you RELAX – body and mind – so you can restful, nourishing sleep.
Plus, there are sessions in there that’ll show you how to:
That whole “New Year, New Me” thing is tired… without any action. That’s why it’s important to actually DO something about it.
Because without a plan or a system, you’re kinda left up to your own devices.
The Your Whole You course is 30% off until December 31st. Which means it’s only $137.90 for another couple days.
I’d love to know...
What has YOUR biggest lesson of 2020 been?
Share with me in the comments below.
So thank you so much for sticking with me this year… and I’ll see ya online.
XO,
Hayley