Brand New You ~ 10 Year Challenge

 It’s the New Year! 

Are you on the “new year, new you” bandwagon? Or, are you engrossed in the social media hype - the #10yearchallange?

I’ve digested some of the “new year, new you'' posts and the 10-year challenge posts, yet my heart and soul’s interpretation of this moment in time is a bit more complex. My mind took me on a journey reminiscing about my most valuable experiences over the past 10 years. I was lost in thought about the incredible changes that occurred within me and within my loved ones. I considered the value and impact that loved ones left when they passed on, their legacy. I ruminated about the adventures that I’ve engaged in and the growth opportunities that shaped me.  

A year ago, I worked with one of my besties who is a life coach. This short time spent with her sharpened my perspective and clearly defined and sculpted my wandering ambitions into specific goals and objectives. While recognizing that I’m creeping up on my first anniversary of doing the work, I feel confident that I have been dabbling aggressively on this list. I took the time today to review it in detail to assess my progress. 

There are five categories on this list: Wellness, Relationships, Finance (& Household), Creativity, and Purpose. Two of these categories are going extremely well. The others are at about 50%. As an optimist, I received a dose of extra motivation. I am encouraged because of almost the entire list, I made at least a tiny actionable step toward addressing all of the priorities that I identified. Overall, I fully embrace the work and recognize the difference in real-time confirmed by my day-to-day activities and interactions.

So for me, the 10-year challenge digs much deeper below the surface than a simple comparison of a picture today against a picture from 10 years ago.

While I worked with my bestie last year, the assignments were masterfully strategic! It was intentional concentrated work, structured to ensure extraordinary outcomes. Of those tasks, I crafted a 10-year, five-year, and eventually a one-year vision plan. These exercises forced me to identify and prioritize the most valuable components of my life. Completing the tasks she assigned challenged me to take a life-changing journey. I ended up thoroughly examining my entire life trajectory, ten years at a time. I did the five-category assessment on who I was as a child, then a teen, then a young adult and an adult, then a middle-aged adult; and I was immensely enlightened. I was able to use each 10-year transitional point as a marker to pinpoint the additional value added to my lifespan in each particular decade. So I ask you, in which ways did the last ten years add value to YOUR life plan?

Questions and reflections as such, came to mind for me, for the last ten years:

• How has my career or profession developed?

• What stage of parenting am I in now and how have my children grown? 

• What’s going on with my parents now?

• How is my home life and living situation?

• What is the state of my finances?

• What valuable experiences have I encountered?

• How has the loss of loved ones affected me?

• Which relationships have I added or cut off?

• What is the state of my spiritual walk?

• What new skills have I learned?

• What brings me joy and am I engaging in those things?

• What creative pursuits have I initiated or accomplished?

• What unforgettable vacation memories do I have?

• What is the state of my physical, emotional and mental health and wellbeing?

• Am I working on a passion project?

• Do I bring value to my family, job and relationships?

• Am I thriving or simply surviving?

• Do I know how to nurture safe spaces and practice being vulnerable?

• Have I assessed my assets and liabilities?

• What are some of my professional or business-related wins?

• Which habits serve me well and which ones don’t?

• Do I reserve intentional space for self-care?

This whole 10-year challenge business has created a mental circulation of these questions and ideas. What have YOU spent the last 10 years accomplishing? Take some time to answer these questions for yourself. And future-forward, which of these priorities do you value most? Be determined to make the next 10 years some of your best-lived years.

The last 10 years have empowered me. They have shown me where my value and worth lie. These years highlighted my strengths and outlined my capacity-building opportunities. It showcased my level of impact and influence on others and taught me the importance of engaging in value exchanges. When you live your life prioritizing bringing value to others and being open to receiving like-value, you create a blueprint of success.  

You know… as we recently acknowledged the loss of two of life’s greatest entertainers, Sidney Portier and Betty White, it reminded me of the mindset that is a constant for those of us who have experienced bereavement. When our loved ones finish their journey here on earth, we are usually left with thoughts of funneling memories that remind us of how much and why we inevitably valued that person. We barely ever place focus on how much wealth or success they attained.  A well-lived life is built upon countless moments of valuable exchanges with the people you love.

Let’s build the next 10 years on purpose and plan to accomplish and fulfill your ideal blueprint of life. Plan to do this by sharing one valuable exchange with one person, after another, then another. Creating this dichotomy of loving exchanges ensures a lifetime of joyful, rich, fulfilling, and thriving relationships and experiences. Those are the memories that flood the hearts of those who love you most.

Bottom Line - CREATE the life you want to live! DO the work! BE the example! No excuses! LIVE your best intentional life! Your life may be the only book a discouraged soul may ever get to read.