It might be controversial… but I’m not big on “Year in Review” type reflection exercises. I find they can be a bit too ‘self-congratulatory’ or something. I’m all about celebrating and even sharing the wins when they happen, but suggest to me a 20-question Year-in-Review activity and my brain is tapped out.

So… you can imagine my enthusiasm when, at my final accountability group meeting for the year, our facilitator said “Okay, time for some reflection”. 

Well it turns out I needed to eat those thoughts. Because I was WRONG. 

There were just 3 short questions but, DAMN. They got me good and brought up all of the emotions. 

I thought I’d share them, along with the short version of my answers, in the hope they encourage you, too, to take 15 minutes out of your day and reflect on what you got out of 2022, and what you want out of 2023. 

Here we go….

Question 1: What 3 things do you want to leave behind in 2022?

• Mum Guilt. I know it’s impossible to let go of this guilt entirely, but 2022 proved to me how much of a better parent I am when I’m feeling fulfilled professionally. 
• Comparisons to my “former career”. I never set out to be a business owner and a part of my brain has been a strong inner critic, challenging whether I could achieve the type of success in entrepreneurship that I had in journalism. This year was proof that I indeed can—and have. 
• People pleasing at all costs. As a member of my accountability group said, “I need to save some of my positive juju for myself, instead of giving it all away” and I think that sums it up perfectly!

Question 2: What 3 memories do you most want to hold on to from 2022?

• Jacob hugging us all constantly and saying, in his sweet little voice, “I love you so much”. (Parents of boys…. Tell me they’ll never stop saying this!)
• The “this is us” feeling of utter contentment we had as a family while on our trip to Bali.
• My accountability group workshop in August, right before my 38th birthday, when I realised I was absolutely “on purpose” in what I was doing with my life! 

Question 3: What 3 key learnings do you want to take with you in 2023. 

• White space serves me well. I am more creative and more strategic when I schedule “white space” into my work weeks. 
• My time is too valuable to be invested in the wrong people. I have a choice about who I work with, and I need to make those choices wisely. I will never regret giving more time to my family.
• Prioritising myself is the best investment I can make in my family and my business.

🧀That last point there 👆, my gosh I know it sounds cheesy and obvious… but here’s the thing. I’ve *known* it for a long time—heck, we all know it. But 2022 was the first year I actually LIVED it. 

I prioritised exercise. I prioritised regular catch ups with my girlfriends. I prioritised my own professional development. I prioritised swims in the ocean. I priortised time for the things that *I* wanted to do. 

Being able to say that aloud makes me equal parts:

▪️ Proud—For finally doing what I’ve always known to be important. 

▪️ Grateful—For a partner that encourages me to do so and a business that gives me the financial freedom and flexibility to make it a reality. 

And the best part of all of this is that investing in myself made me a better person to be around. It made me a better wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and business owner.

Those proverbial cups, my friends? Damn fill them up.