22 Things I'm Deeply Proud of From 2022
DECEMBER 30, 2022
In a community call with one of my mentors this month, she asked the group to write a list of 22 things that we are proud of this year. To my surprise, generating the list proved to be somewhat difficult. I would jot down a few wins, pause, and then pull to think deeper on more successes or moments where I walked away feeling proud or accomplished. After the exercise, my mentor opened up the floor for each participant to share their biggest take-aways. It wasn’t until speaking and openly sharing my list items that I truly began FEELING into the powerful energy of celebration and recognizing the potent potential of all that I’ve navigated and achieved this year.
2022 was a heavy one for me. From both a professional and personal level, I felt as if I was being challenged and tested on all fronts. Family, friends, home life, my relationship, clients, projects, money, creativity — all of it. And with the tests, it was easy for me to feel defeat, slip into victim mindset, and wallow in hardship. Mostly, the inner critic and overachiever in me would surface with feelings of “not-enoughness” and “you-should-be-doing-more-ness”. But, despite all of the mind-chatter, and, throughout the actual lows, there was always the unexpected GIFT of a silver lining or lesson that lied on the other side. And leaning into these linings and lessons was the very way to navigate all of the heaviness and find beauty in the discomfort.
What helped to elevate this beauty even further, to my surprise, was this simple, yet powerful journal prompt from my mentor. Listing and sharing my 2022 wins gave them a WEIGHT that I didn’t even realize they needed — solidifying them and making them feel more real in a way. This in turn, allowed me to bear witness to the immensity of growth that I experienced this year and actually bask in the powerful energy of pride and celebration.
In a society that seems to always latch on to the dramas and disasters, the click-batey headlines and stories of trauma and hardship, it’s no surprise that attention gets deviated from the simple good deeds and uplifting wins. Add to that someone with a Type-A, go-getter personality (yours truly) and you have yourself a recipe for unworthiness and a chronic case of “always chasing that next thing”.
Feeling into the beautiful energy of celebration even more, I felt compelled to look up its meaning in the midst of compiling these reflections. Amongst the many that I came across, this one stood out to me the most:
verb, to make known publicly; proclaim
Acknowledging your achievements can feel good, but it is only one piece of the puzzle. In vulnerably opening ourselves to share our wins and making them known to others, we tap into the true intention of celebration, manifesting a state of empowerment for not only ourselves, but for those on the receiving end. For me, sharing my list with my mentorship group is what solidified it for me and left me appreciating my achievements, and my self so much more. And even more — I was met with SO much receptivity and love from my community to uplift and celebrate me even MORE.
Beyond the newfound sense of pride that I uncovered from the exercise, I am walking away with a new practice that I will surely be integrating into my weekly and monthly routines for the new year ahead — a mindful reflection ritual of celebration that inherently dissipates all of the lows and shifts me into a feeling of deep gratitude and appreciation for how powerful (and truly badass) I am. In recognizing the inherent power of celebrating ALL the things, I am committing to doing more of it. And I encourage anyone reading this to do the same. Perhaps to start — what are 22 things YOU are proud of in 2022?
Here are mine:
Investing in mentorship.
Hitting my financial goal for the year and (easily!) exceeding 6 figures in my business.
Booking my first 15K client.
Partaking in a powerful all-women’s retreat in Joshua Tree.
Somatic healing through breathwork.
Learning how to say no and turn down plans (and not feel guilty about it).
My solo trips to New London and Miami.
Creating and sharing my art.
Committing to a new gym routine and hitting new PR’s.
Using exercise as a tool because I love myself, not because I’m trying to change myself.
Finally overcoming my orthorexia and finding peace with intuitive eating and nutrition.
Choosing my relationship.
Letting go of clients that no longer align with me.
Expanding my services into website design.
Hiring 2 designers to join my team.
Raising my prices (again!)
Completing 6 incredible, kickass branding projects.
Not doing client work during weekends.
Overcoming my dependency with alcohol and learning to love myself sober.
Forgiving my parents.
Forgiving myself.
Learning how to better communicate and speak my truth.
