Note: this post is the first of a 2-part series on what 2013 was all about for me and those that inspire me.
I love the start of a New Year. It’s so full of possibility, of second chances and new adventures.
I’m not one for New Year’s resolutions as they feel false and a bit last minute. I am keen on making some lasting changes so I decided to be guided by some people that I find inspiring and reflect back on 2013 as my first step to making lasting change in 2014.
First up is Natalie MacNeil of She Takes On The World. Natalie created a wonderful webinar called Limitless 2014 (you can see it by signing up to her YouTube channel). She interviewed a range of women entrepreneurs about what they had achieved in 2013 and what they had planned for 2014.
One of my favourite entrepreneurs was Terri Cole. She had a no nonsense approach that I liked. Terri explained a process that she takes her clients through at the end of each year. It involves these 3 questions:
- What crap am I leaving in 2013?
- What gems am I keeping from 2013?
- What do I want to create in 2014?
Working through these questions required a bit of thought as it’s far easier to list the negatives than it is to identify the positives. The human brain is just plain strange sometimes!
As part of the webinar Natalie also provided a Reflections 2013 handout where her insightful thoughts rounded out the questions that Terri had asked. Natalie asked that you fill in the gaps for the following statements:
I am most proud of…
Three things that didn’t go according to plan are…
What I learned from the things that didn’t go according to plan is…
The biggest challenge I overcame is…
My biggest A-Ha moment was…
The reason that Natalie choose the webinar title that she did is that her word for 2014 is Limitless. The strength of choosing that simple word is powerful as every goal and decision that she makes can be compared back to that word for her to see if she’s on track.
Second is Natalie Sisson, The Suitcase Entreprenuer. Natalie wrote a great post in which she answered 10 questions (that come from Tracey at Blossom) that have helped her to uncover the magical moments of 2013. The questions were:
1. What did I achieve over the last 12 months that I’m proud of?
2. What am I grateful for in 2013?
3. What did I learn about myself?
4. What worked really well in the last year that I would like to bring forward into the coming year?
5. What didn’t work so well?
6. How could I do things differently to improve this/these situations?
7. What am I letting go of or forgiving myself or others for, which will set me free from the past?
8. How would I like to feel in 2014?
9. What do I want to achieve in 2014?
10. In what way can I give back in 2014?
Last but not least is Ultra Runner Girl. I’ve recently started to follow her blog and love her honest approach to her writing. Her approach to the end of a year is to ask herself three main questions:
What did I learn over the past 12 months?
What do I still need to figure out?
And am I where I want to be?
I took all of these thoughts away with me as I headed out to tramp (that’s walk/hike/ramble depending on where in the world you are) Lake Waikaremoana; one of New Zealand’s great walks. The walk was for 4 days with a bunch of friends and their friends and family.
The beauty of the landscapes, the peace of being in the bush and the physical challenges are what I enjoy the most about tramping.
My New Year’s eve was spent at the second of our 3 huts; Waiopaoa Hut. 
Next post I will share some more tips from inspiring people. In the meantime do you have any reflections from 2013 that you would like to share?
