As I’ve written before, New Year’s Eve/Day is one of my favorite holidays because I love fresh starts and the optimism they bring. But before launching into listing all the ways we could do better in the coming year, I think it’s a good practice to remind ourselves of the things we did well this year. I tend to be rather hard on myself, and I often move on from my successes quickly while dwelling on my failures and shortcomings. The year’s end is a good time not only to think about how I might improve, but also to reflect on victories big and small.
A former boss once told me that early in her career, she began keeping a folder of praise she receives. If she gets a “well done” email or a positive review, she puts a copy in the folder. When she isn’t feeling great about herself, she looks through the folder and gets an instant boost.
I haven’t been as organized or deliberate about it as my old boss, but I do hold onto written documentation of professional successes and positive feedback. I think this concept could be expanded beyond external praise. Maybe it would be a good idea to keep a running list of things we’re proud of — goals we’ve met, tough tasks we’ve completed, times we wanted to quit but didn’t, and things that just made us feel good about ourselves. I bet that would be a great confidence booster and motivator when I’m feeling like a slacker. It also seems like a nice way to pause and recognize my successes as I go so I don’t overlook them.
I’m sorry to say that I don’t remember a lot of my day-to-day victories from 2019, but here are some things I’m proud of:
- I met some big savings goals.
- I attended a couple of excellent conferences that generated some great ideas and energized me professionally.
- I took a two-week family vacation to a place I’ve long wanted to visit.
- I applied for a job that was a big stretch for me. I knew it was a long shot, but I put together a strong application on short notice and I went for it anyway. At this point, I think it’s safe to say I didn’t get the job, but I tried.
- I wrote numerous judicial opinions, memoranda, and orders, helping to resolve a number of legal disputes.
- I wrote a bunch of blog posts. Not as many as I would have liked to write, but a good number nonetheless.
- I read several books — actual, physical books, in addition to audiobooks.
- I taught my first continuing legal education class, and I spoke on a couple of panels at an undergraduate career conference.
- I continuously cared for a toddler. I kept him fed, clothed, healthy, and entertained, even when I had little energy to muster. These tasks don’t get much recognition in our society, but they take a lot of mental and physical energy and time, so I’m counting this as a victory.
- I focused on my mental health and made great strides toward better understanding my mental processes and caring for my emotional needs.
These successes may not be award-worthy, but I’m satisfied with them and will be thinking of them as I celebrate the end of 2019 on Tuesday night. Looking forward to 2020, I haven’t made any specific resolutions yet, but I’ve set some intentions. One of them is to be more deliberate about how I spend my time and where I focus my attention. I’m not necessarily aiming to be more productive —- it isn’t about getting more done so much as making sure I make time for the things that matter to me and ensuring that unimportant things don’t leech too many of my precious minutes and energy. I bought nice planners for myself and one of my best friends, and I’m looking forward to sitting down and thinking through my goals and planning out how I’m going to spend my days. (Did you know that fancy expensive paper planners are a big thing right now? I guess the trend represents pushback against digital overwhelm.) Having some accountability should be helpful in terms of sticking with using the planner throughout the year.
My other big intention for the year is to do whatever it takes to preserve and increase my energy level and brighten my disposition. I’ve been pretty tired and grumpy lately. There are medical factors influencing my energy and mood, but I also haven’t been trying very hard to eat healthfully, drink plenty of water, exercise regularly, or meditate, all of which are things that I know would make me feel better. It’s a bit of a Catch-22, as I require a certain amount of energy and free time to do some of those things in the first place. Still, I’m going to make more of an effort to prioritize maximizing my energy and lifting my mood by, for instance, taking more time to plan healthy meals, going for walks during the day when the weather is bearable, and resuming my prior practice of doing some yoga and meditation before bed.
Have you set any specific resolutions or broader intentions for the coming year? I’d love to hear where you intend to focus your efforts in 2020.
Happy New Year!