A Year In Review

Guest Blogger: Claudia Hufham – Claudiareinvented

Does anyone else feel like Christmas came really fast this year? As I decorated my house, which usually is one of my favorite things to do, this year I felt like as I pulled things out and set them up I was thinking, I’m just going to have to take this down and pack it away in a few weeks. The joy of seeing all my decorations and the memories they hold was lacking at best.

Where did it go? I kept hearing Faith Hill’s song “Where Are You Christmas” running through my head. It’s so easy to get caught up in the whirlwind the holidays create that sometimes I let it get away from me. Instead of it being a happy time, it turns into feeling like I am a slave to my calendar.

Another thing that is adding to my dampening spirit, is that in years past I always had plenty of vacation days and I would save at least a week, sometimes two for Christmas. This year there is no vacation time. I get Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off, with no pay. I’m not sure why I feel like that is a slap in the face, but I do.

So, once again, I am faced with a “bad attitude” and once again I need to fix it. I refuse to go through my favorite season being a grinch. One of my friends reminded me that, “Bad attitudes are like flat tires. You can’t go anywhere until you fix it.” So an attitude adjustment is in order!

Adjusting the ‘tude
I wish I could have all the time that I’ve spent adjusting my attitude this year back! On the upside, I’ve gotten really good at recognizing when it needs to happen and how to adjust it. I have found that fixing a bad Christmas attitude can be quickly remedied with one or more of the following:

1. Watch some old favorite movies (White Christmas, Miracle on 34th Street and of course, It’s a Wonderful Life)
2. Watch a couple of Hallmark Christmas movies. (Be careful, too many in a row can give you a warped sense of reality)
3. Partake in some holiday cheer (wine, eggnog, mulled cider, whatever trips your trigger)
4. Listen to some good Christmas music, (Alexa comes in very handy for this, but stay away from Judy Garland singing “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”! This one makes me want to cry! Not what I am going for at all.)

A Year of Reinventing
If you’ve been following along with me through this year of reinvention, you know that I’ve been on a pilgrimage of reading, learning, and soul searching to get myself to a new and different, but better place in life. It’s been a year of adjusting my life attitude!

In my quest, I came across a very inspiring woman by the name of Marie Forleo. Marie is a life coach and I have enjoyed her videos and although I haven’t read it yet, I am looking forward to reading her new book “Everything is Figureoutable”. First of all, what a great title for a book and second of all, I think “figureoutable” is my new favorite word! I think it should be my mantra!

One of the things that Marie has suggested is that you create a “Year In Review” list. Well, she actually suggested that you make a “Decade In Review”, but I don’t have that good a memory! This last year has been a year of soul searching and growing for me, so I decided a year was good.

The point of this exercise is to think of all the good, the bad, the ugly things that you have experienced over the past year. Make a list of the things that you are most proud of and the lessons that you’ve learned. Hopefully, taking stock in those lessons will help you in the future.

If this could prevent me from learning lessons over and over again that would be fabulous. I have a tendency to have to learn a lesson more than once before it sticks!

So Here Goes:

Section I: What I am Most Proud Of

1. Losing my job didn’t kill me
2. Realizing that my job does not define me
3. I started a new job
4. I came out of the dark and am working my way to the light
5. I pay the bills even though my salary was cut more than in half
6. Finding peace in my new normal
7. How much I’ve grown as a person
8. Finally realizing that my opinion of myself is the most important
9. I kept my sense of humor

Section II: My Lessons

1. I am stronger than I thought I was
2. I am more resilient than I gave myself credit for
3. I can get back up after being knocked down (not gracefully but I’m back up)
4. Living in gratitude makes a big difference
5. Feeling sorry for myself is not a place to live
6. Things can change and it’s not the end of the world
7. Meditation is wonderful
8. You don’t appreciate sleep until you don’t get any
9. Friends are like flashlights when the power is out
10. The glass is half full ALL the time

My list is still a work in progress and I add to it regularly. It’s been a long year full of pain, sadness, learning and a lot of forgiving. I’m here. I’m living. I’m learning and loving and finding my way. Rachael Hollis says “It’s not about the dream or goal, it’s about who you become on your way to that goal.” I like this woman I’ve become along the way.

Even though I have those times when my attitude needs adjusting or I am having a hard time seeing the joy in something, remembering how far I’ve come, everything I thought I couldn’t get through but have, all the times I got out of bed when I didn’t want to, all the times I pushed through even though I was sure I could, all those times I wanted to give up but I got through another day, looking back at how far I’ve come is what keeps me moving forward. I can never forget how much strength I have had along the way.

This is for all of you that are going through your own war and trying to be positive. I see you. I see you standing in the ashes of who you used to be. You’ve gotten this far and although you may have more mountains to climb, just stop once in a while, look back at what you’ve accomplished, and spend some time being proud of yourself.