My 2019 Annual Review
Another year and decade complete. Here's a recap of 2019’s trip around the sun. In past years I ran around doing too many things which were not inline with my goals. I don't even know if I knew what my goals were. Last year was a time of reflection, love, and integration.
My first public Annual Review I am following James Clear’s method and will answer these three questions.
What went well this year?
What didn’t go so well this year?
What did I learn?
““It is worth noting that every Annual Review is a personal process. This is simply an overview of what my year looked like, not advice for how you should live your life. (That said, you are always welcome to use this general format for your own Annual Review.)” ”
1. What went well this year?
Improving my primary relationships. This is huge! I had old negative patterns which were blocking me from deeper love and greater success in relationships.
- Co-parent. For one thing, my relationship with my ex really improved. I love my son’s father and we were not healthy together. That being said, we have a child and we are finding ways to healthily co-parent. After some family counseling, apologies, and open communication I believe we are in a much better place than last year. I’m proud of this.
- Romantic. My romantic relationship continues to amaze me. I went into my current relationship planning on breaking up at some point during 2019. This is a great strategy for success I’ve come to find out. This perspective allowed me to truly treasure the time and space we have together. We are still healthy and happily growing in our relationship.
One other thing about my romantic relationship I’d like to share is our attitude towards the relationship. This was new for me and I believe it is also key. We do not take care of, manage, try to change or control the other person. We take care of ourselves individually and we both take care of the relationship. The results is a healthy, strong and loving bond.
- Motherhood. Finally, my son talks to me now! At the beginning of 2019 he was still mimicking words and parroting. Now he comes up with his own thoughts and communicates them! It has been so fun to watch and help him grown. And he is funny. His wit and jokes surprise me. I am grateful for the resources I have which allow me to be present with him often.
Tanzen, my son, has also started obeying directions, helping adults with tasks, listening to others, and communicating his feelings. His social skills gained tons of traction in 2019.
Experimenting with my newsletter. I sent more personal and ugly emails instead of general health advice with pretty pictures. I stopped saying “you” and started saying “I”. I believe this change added to my email’s depth.
Building my online presence. I'm very grateful to have the opportunity to share with so many people. I did put some effort into posting and commenting on my social media platforms.
Here's what the year looked like:
9 new articles/blog posts this year. I had 7 the year before.
45 new email subscribers in 2019
I have roughly 100 more Instagram subscribers.
I have 600+ likes on my facebook page.
I quadrupled my Facebook page reviews! I believe I have 12 as of writing this. I’m grateful for that!
I started using twitter again.
I updated my LinkedIn account which I still barely check.
Traveling. I realize traveling is a privilege and I’m super grateful I have the ability to travel.
In 2018 I went to Ecuador for a Quantum Healing Certification (this is like reiki on steroids). I led my first yoga retreat to Costa Rica. I went to a health coaching immersion conference in Salt Lake City.
In 2019 I went to Mexico for the Yogahealer retreat. I went to New York city twice for fun and family events. I travelled to Ohio for a festival. I attended Floyd Yoga Jam for the 7th time with family. And I went to Florida for the holidays.
Developing my programs. I led Love Alchemy pilot and really enjoyed sharing on the topic of love, intimacy, and relationship. I improved my systems for my main offering which is now called The Yoga Experience - living modern life as a yogi. I moved from being an in-person coach to an online coach. I do still host live events and I love them.
Performing on stages: I did not get on as many stages as I would like to in the future. I did realize this is very important to me so that is a win. What I did do was spin fire with the fire performers at Floyd Yoga Jam. I led an ecstatic dance at the 5GConnect event. I taught Ayurveda and Bhakti for the Bhav Brigade teacher training.
Refining my skills. I became more confident and comfortable shooting videos. I improved my leadership skills at Yogahealer. I improved my reading skills.
Purchasing a new car. I got a new car this year which has been great! I let go of the Chevy Malibu and said hello to the Toyota Prius. Yay to paying less for gas!
2. What didn’t go so well this year?
Many important things happened in 2019 and a lot of it was inner growth and work. Therefore, my productivity and community efforts lessened in 2019.
Maintaining business income. Moving from in-person coaching to online really took a financial hit in my health coaching business. The amazing people I had in my program loved being in person with me. Once I moved everything online most of them were not interested. I did continue to coach a smaller group and I loved it. I didn't have anyone sign up for Love Alchemy a second time which was also disappointing.
Moving to a new home. I moved twice at the beginning of the year. The first place didn't work out. Moving also took me away from my yoga studio and local community. I taught fewer weekly yoga classes than I had taught since being certified in 2012.
Working out. I usually like to do a harder, longer workout 3-5 times a week such as swimming, weight lifting, or a challenging yoga class. I’d say 2019 has been the least physically active year of my life so far. I taught less yoga and I had no gym membership for weight lifting or swimming. What I did do was run to the beach to watch the sunrise and perform mini workouts at home regularly. One thing I loved was including my son in these breath-body practices. These short workouts were simply about getting my heart rate up and breaking a sweat. I did not get physically stronger or more flexible.
3. What did I learn this year?
Wow, where to start? I’ll share some of the main lessons I learned this year:
Being culturally relevant. I watched all the Marvel movies this year and I was able to be more relatable to more people. I had been so far in Ayurveda yoga land mainstream society thought I was crazy! I refused to even be in the same room as a TV that was on. I can handle the television now and even though I do still believe it is an evil mind-controlling box I probably won’t say that if I'm over at your house.
Knowing my audience. This was a key lesson related to being relatable. If I am speaking to military folks I shouldn't use Sanskrit words they have never heard. I might use a few in a yoga class and that is different. I can use all the “energy language” though if I am talking to yogis at a meet-up. Very important lesson to being a diverse and dynamic leader.
Expanding my racial awareness. I started following more people of color on social media platforms. I took a training on improving the wellness and yoga industry for all. I listened to podcasts about race by people of color. I listened to podcasts and interviews about race in the yoga industry and cultural appropriation. I had several hard and heartfelt conversations about race with people of color, with white folks and a mix. I saw firsthand micro-aggressions, off-color comments and prejudice. I found a term, white ally which I strive to be in my thoughts, words and actions.
Improving my political and world knowledge. I started listening to podcasts and different news reports about local, national, and world events. I was not ready to do this earlier in my self-healing journey. Now I have opinions, share them and stay informed on current events. I believe it is valuable if you want to be the change you want to see, which I do.
Working from home. I was not out in the community giving free talks, doing community service and connecting with folks. Since I wasn't sharing enough my main offering didn’t fill up. You can’t help others reach their goals if you never go out of the house. That is what I've learned, unless you want to spend $500+ on ad campaigns a month.
Growing my business. For some reason I thought I could be making more money with my business in a matter of 2 years without investing anything. Ha! I learned this year these things take time and a lot of work which you do not get paid for. “Patience is important,” as Captain America says.
Recognizing my privilege. My whole life is a privilege. I am blessed to be alive. I’m blessed to be in America. I recognize being white and having compounded generational gains plays a part in me having time and space to pursue being an entrepreneur.
Understanding in-person value. I realize now through my experiences that working with/coaching groups in person has a TON of value.
In closing I learned a lot of important and hard lessons. I spent time being mad at myself, our culture, and the world. I challenged a lot of my beliefs and formed new ones. This year was a deep integration and digestion for me. I feel WAY more prepared to lead others than I ever have. Thank you for helping me. Thank you for reading this post and I hope it inspires you to do your own annual review. Happy new year!
In service with love,
Neve