I watched Stacey Abrams on MSNBC this week. She said nearly 80k people in Georgia voted in the runoff election this month who DID NOT vote in the presidential election last month. She believes that more people voted after Georgia flipped blue and elected the Biden/Harris ticket. The reporter commented, “Winning begets more winning.” It’s made me think about the power of small wins and the necessity of hope. We are not inclined to work hard toward a goal we believe to be unattainable.

I’ve felt this recently in my own life. 2020 concludes my first full year working for myself. Some days are difficult. I need small successes to keep me focused: a positive review, a published article, a solid interview, a kind word. When too many days are strung together without external encouragement, it’s rough. I have to motivate myself. We all do.  

Thankfully, I’m in the habit of being kind to myself. After a year like 2020, I find myself saying things like:

• If you didn’t gain weight for the entire twelve months, you’re a rock star!
• If you made it through the year without a major episode of anxiety or depression, you’re totally winning!
• If you maintained or strengthened your relationships while socially distanced, you’re beyond brilliant!
• If you’re not revisiting bad habits, you are clearly an angel!

This was a year to be gentle with ourselves, to understand that we’re in a pressure cooker, even when we sometimes forget. Because 2020 wasn’t normal. For those of us who’ve been around for a while, we know this was a year unlike any other. If you’re a young person, know this isn’t NORMAL. We’ve experienced a global pandemic, massive conspiracy theories, some of the worst police brutality we’ve ever seen, historic fires, domestic terrorism AND an attempt to destroy our democracy ALL AT ONCE. People are struggling financially, emotionally and physically. There is always an opportunity to learn from negative experiences, but there is also a very real reason to slow down, lick our wounds and be kind to ourselves.

Forgive yourself for feeling scattered,

     or losing your patience,

               or being angry,

                         or feeling sad,

                                   or getting stuck.

Just like all the people who believed their votes didn’t matter as a response to decades of marginalization and disenfranchisement, we need HOPE. We need to give it as much as we need to receive it. It can be a smile or a kind word. A phone call or a text to check-in. It can be as simple as sharing an inspirational meme or a comforting recipe. Hope can also be winning an election that nobody thought we could win. It can mean electing a Black vice president. Hope can mean flipping the senate blue.

There are times in life when we stop to take an assessment. The end of the year is one of those times. This past year I lost three family members including my father. I wrote three books. I canceled a string of events. I was interviewed more than twenty times. I published seven articles and fifty-two blogs. I participated in my first writer’s retreat and went zip-lining in Costa Rica. I had my astrology chart done. I gained fifteen pounds and lost them again. My first full year in business was bittersweet. With everything it was and wasn’t, it’s the year I crafted Mind-Blowing Happiness™. It was a year of hope. As we bring 2020 to a close, I encourage you to pack a suitcase of self-love, compassion, hope and courage and bring it with you into 2021. Our work is just beginning.

I wish you Freedom, Alignment and Effortless Abundance!