December 31st is always a time of reflection. We don’t often give ourselves the time throughout the year to appreciate what is going well, learn from our disappointments and shortcomings, and reevaluate for the future. As great as this day can be for all of the reflection, it can leave us feeling disappointed in where we fell short, what didn’t work out and what didn’t happen that we hoped would. As the Instagram posts flood in about the year coming to an end I know it can leave you, myself included, with mixed feelings, especially wondering if you are the only one who didn’t achieve all they had hoped.

For me personally this year has been a ride; teaching more classes than ever, gaining new personal training clients and getting more involved in my own business, Discover You. It has been a whirlwind of excitement, disappointment, overwhelm, and exhaustion, and I have loved every minute of it despite the numerous moments to learn and improve from. I always get mixed feelings at this time of year when looking at other entrepreneurs, especially those within the fitness industry, because it is a moment to reflect on my own path and see if it is where I need to be. The biggest thing I have learned this year, whether professionally or personally, is that you never know until you try or ask, and taking risks is simply part of the process.

If you are now beginning to compare yourself more, or maybe even to me while reading this, here is my suggestion moving forward: stay on track and focus your energy inward, instead of on what everyone else is doing.

Use the New Year as another checkpoint. I like to divide the year up into segments. The easiest ones are January and September but I usually throw in one or two more, typically as the seasons change. The checkpoint is a time to reevaluate the goals or intentions you once set months prior. It will help you see if you are on the right path or if things need to pivot and go in another direction. That way we don’t wait an entire year to truly reflect, because 365 days is a long time!

Comparisons aren’t worth it. As we scroll through Instagram remember that it is the highlight reel of a person’s life. We aren’t all very quick to share our struggles and if we are they are often paired with a beautifully captured photo to make sure the aesthetics still match the rest of the profile. Instead of comparing or critiquing what someone else is doing, take the thought inward and channel it to focus on your own insecurity, because that is often where the comparisons begin.

Don’t feel like a failure if you didn’t accomplish all that you wanted. I always tell my clients after a class or training session to remember how far they have come, what they have learned, and all that they can do! When we focus on the negative or the things we fell short of accomplishing it often overrides all of the awesome stuff we actually HAVE done. Don’t forget that in order to get to December 31st a lot of amazing things also happened in between the more challenging times.

Whether you felt as though 2018 was your year or not, we made it! Now let’s celebrate the little moments that got us here, rather than the trying ones. Wishing you a healthy, happy, productive, and sweaty 2019!

Yours in self-discovery,

Rachel

Hello 2019!