Saying Goodbye to 2015

I suck at transitions. I realized it earlier this year. When one thing/phase/time is ending, I’m ready to be onto the next thing/phase/time already. I don’t like to linger in the in-between and I don’t do well with patient transitions from one place to the next.

That’s actually been the focus of my yoga practice – gracefully transitioning from one pose to the next – for the past 2 months. I’m not-so-secretly hoping I’ll improve enough that it spills over into my life off the mat. Here’s hoping…

Anyway, with only a few hours remaining in 2015, what better time to practice better transitions than now as one year changes to the next?!

One of the things I’ve noticed when it comes to transitioning from one year to the next, is that we often get so fixated on the turning the page and “doing better” next year that we forget to acknowledge all the things that have occurred in the 365 days that came before. And let me just say that I think we’re doing ourselves a tremendous disservice here.

So this year, before we start setting goals and looking ahead to how much ass we’re gonna kick in 2016, let’s take a moment to pause and reflect on 2015, shall we?

I’ll go first. Upon reflection, I realized that I totally rocked 2015! I blogged about many of my proud moments and accomplishments – including all the miles I ran (more than 1700 – all injury free), starting my yoga teacher training, quitting my corporate job to chase my dream of turning my love of running, yoga, and holistic fitness into super fulfilling full-time job, having the best training run ever, and MUCH more – but I also:

• rocked a 2-piece swimsuit at the beach and felt REALLY good about it for the first time ever…YAY for body confidence!
• helped and inspired many to believe that the impossible is possible and have faith in their own potential
• regained my clean bill of health and reclaimed my sanity after enduring the longest and darkest days of my life
• Oh yeah and I also did this… this… this… this… this… this… and so much more (just scroll through my Instagram to see all the wild & wacky stuff I did this year)

But as I’ve alluded to in previous posts, 2015 was also a year of tremendous loss for me. I’ve said many very painful good-byes this year – some so excruciating that I often wondered how I’d survive. However, through the looooooooong healing process, I’ve grown exponentially and learned so much.

• I learned that only I’m truly responsible for me and my happiness – there isn’t any other person, place or thing that can bring me joy if I can’t find it inside myself.
• I learned that taking care of myself sometimes means I have to hurt others and/or let them down – but that doesn’t make me a bad person because, in the end, everyone (not just me) is responsible for themselves and their own happiness.
• I learned that it’s okay to say good-bye to those who make me feel bad about myself or cross the boundaries I put in place, however intentionally or unintentionally – not everyone is meant to stay forever.
• I learned to stop being okay with others (including close friends) who judge me, my feelings and reactions – last I checked, I’m the only one who truly knows what I’m dealing with 24/7 and has to deal with the consequences, thankyouverymuch.
• I learned to stop judging others so harshly and taking their actions personally – everyone is entitled to their own choices, even if they’re not the most convenient or comfortable for me…after all, not everything is about me.
• I learned that strength doesn’t mean holding it in, pretending I’m fine and just handling it on my own – we are human after all, showing emotion doesn’t make us weak, “faking it” is just plain inauthentic, and it takes far more courage to accept support from other humans than “toughing it out” solo.
• I learned that anyone who believes that I should handle my stuff quietly on my own isn’t someone I want to call my friend any longer – I’m not interested in being a robot so I much prefer the company of those who are supportive and compassionate…life’s too short to settle for anything less.
• I learned that I am more than the sum total of my incredible physical achievements, impressive personal victories, what good or bad things others say about me, and the number of “friends” I have – I am not the labels I give myself or those I’m assigned by others…I am SO much more.

If I had to sum up the year in one word it would be EVOLUTION. 2015 was the hardest damn year of my life was also the most rewarding. I become something else entirely.

So I encourage you, before you close the book this year, to look back on 2015 – remember how far you’ve come and take stock of all that you’ve learned. Relive the highlights and take another moment to be proud before you send it off.

For my part, I want to say a heat-felt “thank you” to 2015 – by far, the most educational year of my life. And now I look forward to 2016 and embrace whatever comes next because (thanks to 2015) I believe in myself and my inner strength enough to not be afraid of anything.

So here we go…Bring on 2016, the year of RESILIENCE.