First off, Happy New Year and New Decade!
Second, I want to thank all of you who read these emails. As you may have noticed, I am sending out less posts than I used to. I was doing it weekly, then every other week and now I plan to post a message at least once a month. Writing is still important for me but this is what feels best for me right now. I am going for quality, not quantity. It is so easy to get overwhelmed with the amount of emails and information that is available to us every day.
So here it is, my theme for 2020 is…”The Year of Listening!”
Words that came up for me and I contemplated for what I want more of and what I want to focus on in 2020 were: slowing down, doing less, playing, connecting with people, improving myself in coaching / teaching / parenting / living skills (which all are related to listening better), quality time with those I love, and real conversations with people AND with myself. I felt like LISTENING incorporated all of that in some form.
Important parts of listening for me include:
- Listening to myself
- Being open and listening to God
- Listening, really listening to other people, what they say and what they don’t say.
I want to pay attention! I want to pay attention to what is TRULY important, the big picture, my top values AND also doing and noticing the little things that make a difference. I want to notice what is working and what is not working for me.
I want to slow down. It is hard to listen when you are rushing, stressing, and / or multi-tasking. I want to enjoy my life. That is big for me (and related to last year’s theme of “Chose Joy.”) I want to be intentional and make choices that help me enjoy my life more. If I listen to myself and notice what is bringing me joy I will be able to do more of it.
I heard it a lot in 2019 and I keep coming back to it, “life is not a race.” There is no point in rushing and trying to cram as much as possible into each day. That ruins the fun and joy for me. I want space to relax and do what I want. I want time to snuggle with my boys who are growing up so quickly. I want time to read because it is one of my favorite things to do in the world. I want to enjoy my time and conversations with people. I want to prioritize the things I want. I want to give those I love my full attention.
Being a good listener is important for being successful at my job, being a good friend, and especially being a good parent. I want to take my listening skills to the next level and I am going to make some effort to improve them. If you have any advice or recommendations, I welcome them!
I would LOVE to hear what you have chosen as your theme for 2020. Please send me an email or comment below.
I hope 2020 is an amazing year for each of us.
Decide what you want. What is your plan? What small actions can you take to help you make 2020 all that you want it to be?
With small changes, big things can happen.
Wishing you the very best!
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