By Denise Boudreau-Scott

Has 2020 been a good year for you? Nuts to even ask, right?

What no one is telling you about 2020 is that plenty of GOOD things actually did happen AND you had something to do with them!

It’s worth reminding you that no matter what happened (or didn’t happen) in 2020, you have the power to completely change your experience in 2021.

So I am proposing that you start this year with a profound ritual that has changed my life and will change yours as well.

This ritual has repeatedly changed my life. It doesn’t matter how much champagne you had on New Year’s Eve – it’s an easy one to do. 

Insanely Simple

The exercise is simply this: Make a list of everything you’re proud of over the last year. Sounds easy, but it’s trickier than you think.

It is even more profound if you do it with your team.

Having a team to do this with, especially those who get you and really “see” you and your accomplishments, will draw more out of you.

Take turns asking each other what you’re proud of. Start with “I’m proud of . . .” and list out things like:

  • Business accomplishments
  • Tricky situations that you dealt with
  • Boundaries you enforced
  • Goals you hit
  • Personal accomplishments
  • Showing up and providing care for those who need it

List anything that you want to acknowledge yourself for. Don’t be shy or modest. We’ve had enough negativity already. It’s time to shine a light on all the really positive and awesome things you did this past year.

What Else?

And seriously, it’s kind of hard to remember everything. So, here’s how to take it to the next level.

Take turns simply asking each other “What else?”

And then silence. No prompting. No jumping in for a turn. Just ask the question, “What else?” and wait!

Keep asking until you have at LEAST 20 brags.

There will be lots of pauses when you think you’re done and then, “Oh yeah! I forgot about this one!” Then keep asking, “What else?”

Trust me, you’ll be buzzing at the end of it, so don’t give up.

The list of brags is important, but the question “What else?” is extremely important.

 

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Don’t Get Stuck

You’ll probably get stuck at about five things you’re proud of because you don’t want to brag, you discount your accomplishments, or you’ve just forgotten.

I did this with a friend who thought she had a bad year until we started the exercise. It took us 15 minutes and she ended up with 22 things she was proud of, but it took some digging.

That’s why the question is so important. Keep asking and don’t give up!

Bragging Is GOOD for You

It’s awesome to remember everything. It’s great to acknowledge all your wins, big and small, so you can attract even more luck and abundance in the new year.

Work on a mix of business and personal, as long as you get at least 20 good things.

If you do it by yourself, eventually you’ll run out of steam and move on to something else. For the best results, you need at least one partner to gently ask, “What else?”

  • As soon as you run out of brags . . . what else? 
  • When you think you haven’t done anything good . . . what else?
  • As soon as you think there’s nothing else to celebrate . . . what else?
  • If you tell yourself it was a bad year . . . what else? 
  • When you think you’ve written everything . . . what else?

By the way, you don’t just have to do this as an end of year ritual. You could do it monthly or quarterly.

OR

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