My Top 3 Lessons & Take-Aways From 2016

As we close out 2016, and I prepare to set goals for 2017.  It is so important to reflect on this past year...so here's me trying to narrow down all the ah-ha moments and lessons learned in 2016 to my top 3 biggest, most impactful, take-aways from 2016.  Lesson #1: MORE EditingI ended 2015 with a desire to reduce clutter and increase focus of the important.  I had just gone through the whirlwind of having an infant and if that wasn't enough I was diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer and had just finished up all my treatments for that.  So with my increased desire to clear the less important to make room for more of the MOST important I worked on...

Editing my surroundings: I started the year and continued the momentum to reduce clutter in our house.  I read the "The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying up" by Marie Kondo which I loved and went to work on various categories of my material possessions.  
My tips for success with editing your surroundings to leave only the meaningful or in Kondo's words "what brings joy":

1. Momentuum: The more I worked on this the more momentuum I gained with it and I continue you to get pumped up the more I can declutter.  Don't overwhelm yourself though...do one category or space at a time start to finish even if it's just one bin of possessions.
2. Accountability: The other reason I believe I had success with this is, I had a couple friends who also read the book who were my accountability buddies.  We would tell each other what category or room we were currently working on decluttering.
3. Treat Yo Self: I would give myself carrots when it got hard...when it came to a particular area that was extra challenging and made me want to give up.  I would give myself a carrot/reward to work towards.  By far the hardest area for me that took the longest and was the most overwhelming was the categories of: books, files, conference and schooling materials so in other words... my office.  I wanted to create a different look in the office, but did not allow myself to redecorate in there until I was all done purging using Kondo's principles the above categories.  And guess what... I did it!  I didn't like that it took so much time, but I did it and I LOVE the new look of the office too! 

Editing my Goals & To -Do lists:
So I'm totally the type of person that will easily make a list WAY to long and think that everything on it is IMPORTANT, why would I even think to put it on the list if it wasn't important to me?  But I am learning slowly but surely, if everything is important than nothing can be important...so when I was making my priorities and goals at the beginning of 2016 I edited them to only do 4.  I then of course broke-down those priorities and goals to make them SMART.  For 2017 I am committing to upping the ante in both de-cluttering with experimenting with my brand of minimalism and increasing the focus and clearing out the clutter in my goals and to-do lists too (more on that later)...Lesson #2 Express More Gratitude:write it, journal it, say it, encorporate in your self-talk and what you say out-loud to others.  Thank often and sincerely.  This is life-changing.  Make it a daily discipline and see the ripple effect of the positive impact it will have on everyone around you.Lesson #3 Start acting & doing what success looks like in each priority and goal before I feel like "I'm ready" or before it seems like "I have the means to do so..."How many times do you say consciously or subconsciously:

• Oh we don't have the means to do that...
• I am not smart enough to do that...
• I am not fit enough to do that...
• I don't have that talent...
• I don't deserve that...
• I don't have enough time to do that...
• My family is not supportive of that...
• and on, and on,

I am still working on this one hard-core especially the subconcious self-talk, but sometimes when you are struggling with inner dialogue or don't even realize the your subcouncious mess if you start ACTING & DOING & SAYING what you view as a successful person in this area would do and have EVEN BEFORE YOU FEEL READY... magic will happen.  So start acting and doing what success looks like to you and continue to work on your inner dialogue with affirmations and other techniques.

Do any of these resignate with you? What are your take-aways and lessons from 2016 that you plan on taking with you and continuing to learn from in 2017?