Freedom, 2020 & the Gift of Time – Making the Most of the next 6 months

I just returned to podcasting after a two week planned summer break! I am super excited to be back with a renewed sense of creativity. 

During my break I started reflecting on the past 6 months of my life and what I want for the next 6 months. I have seen way too many posts recently being like “can 2020 just be over already?” So that got me to thinking about all that this year has brought me thus far. 

Let’s go back to go forward, in December of 2019 I wrote this manifesto, if you will about Freedom. 

Freedom for myself, my family and the clients I serve, 

Time  Freedom, 

Financial Freedom,

Choice Freedom, 

Freedom to break free from the 9 to 5 and social norms

Freedom to create the life of my choosing

Freedom to work how and when I choose

Freedom to make as much money as I choose

Freedom of choice to live life on my own terms

Freedom to live the best version of myself

Freedom to truly be myself and be loved and accepted exactly as I am

I found this in my notebook with my goals and it had been nearly 6 months since I read it. It brought me to terms. It is exactly the goal I am accomplishing. It is exactly what I am striving to live each and every day. 

But of course, this year hasn’t gone as planned for many. When the first wave of lockdowns happened March 16 in Rhode Island – my kids were off for a planned two week break from school. In the weeks and months that followed, my husband and I homeschooled, cared for, feed and nurtured our children at home by ourselves with no outside help. It was brutal, amazing, challenging, rewarding and in general a rollercoaster of emotion. I am forever grateful that my business has given me the flexibility to be there for the kids like I have been. 

But here’s one of the most amazing things, I have received this gift of time with my family that I am so very grateful for. I am liberated from drop offs and pick-ups. The daily fight/struggle over getting in the car with ALL THE THINGS the kids needs has ended. I am finding more time to do more things that I love. I am connecting more with my kids and my husband. I have made hard decisions that I had been wavering on for months. I am more grounded than ever and am showing up daily in alignment with my goals. These past few months, I have peeled back more layers of myself and found the confidence to stand up for myself and live the life I deserve. I have the gift of time. 

I believe everything happens for a reason and without this experience I’m not sure I’d be able to say all of that. 

So what the heck does any of this have to do with you and your business? I want you to look at the last 6 months to find where you have as a result of lockdown found more happiness, more love, more time? Find the lessons you wouldn’t have learned without having been at home. 

This gift of time which is also apparent to many others, go look up instruments on amazon it is clear to me everyone else is taking up hobbies and doing all those things they have put off for another day. This time is a gift. This time to slow down and connect is a massive opportunity for people like you and me to find more freedom. To say yes to only the things that light our soul on fire. To move forward with confidence knowing we are making decisions based on our goals vs what society says we should be doing. 

Now let’s talk about the next 6 months…instead of looking at 2020 as a wash, I encourage you to look at the glass half full. One thing I did during my hiatus was to take some time to look at my goals. I like to create goals based on the different areas of my life, personal, motherhood, business, wife, house, financial, etc. This helps me to be mindful of the roles I play in life and how I can be a whole person not just someone who is all about work, which for us entrepreneurs is really easy to fall into. I encourage you to do the same. Eliminate the stuff that is now longer in alignment. There are still roughly six more months left to achieve your goals. A lot can get done in six months with hardcore focus. Determine your focus and make daily decisions in alignment with that goal. You might be surprised where you end up in six months.

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