Year Compass 2023

I did not expect such a crazy December month.

I had a whole schedule planned for my content writing, planned to share more resources, positive Climate news and so on.

But life got in the way.

First, I went back home to visit my family and spend quality time with them.

Then I came back this week and settled in my new home, in a new area that feels like Wisteria Lane (those who know, know 🫢).

I did not have time to open my computer as I was in a moving-in kind of mode. 🤗

Until this morning, when I finally took the time to write.

So before we go into the holiday season, I wanted to share with you some valuable lessons I learned this year:

1. Set your boundaries and say NO.

That was a big one for me as I found myself giving a lot this year (and in general).

Now, when anything comes in, I see how my body reacts, if it feels right I go for it. Otherwise, I politely decline. I understood that a no is not something negative.

On the contrary, when you say no, you're saying YES to yourself. As Helena Wasserman said to me one day "If it's not a HELL YES then it's a no".It's time that we learn how to protect our energy, for ourselves and for others.

📚 Currently reading a book called "Give and Take" to learn how to become a 'smart giver'.

2. The best investment you can make is in yourself.

There are a lot of things that we don't know about ourselves.

The majority of our actions are unconscious, so we often do things without realising it.

However, once you have uncovered something, it's possible to work on it. Don't let your limiting beliefs say otherwise.

Working on it can take various means, and the one that worked for me this year was hypnotherapy.

So when you find yourself making excuses (even if they are valid), you usually have beliefs underneath that are limiting you from taking action.

🎙 A podcast I recommend on personal development is ON Purpose by Jay Shetty

3. Relationships are key

Since I founded GreenPush last year, I had to add learn how to sell projects and find new clients.

Lots of trial and error, I tried cold emails, cold DMs, and countless follow-ups and these did not seem to work.

I quickly realised that even if I work with a big company, at the end of the day, it's people to people. Not brand to brand.

So I learned how to develop new relationships and nurture existing ones. No expectations, just pure genuine connections.

When I say genuine, I mean mutual connection. If I don't feel it, then I just don't follow up. As simple as that. 😊

You never know what might happen, some of those will turn into friendships and will make everything much better and smoother.

Trust me, you don't want to work with someone with whom you don't feel connected to. 🙈

4. Identify and work on your strengths

We are all born with strengths.

When you do something that just feels soooo natural, it's likely a strength. Once you identify them and work on them, you can excel.

Sometimes, you just need to look back and think of some actions that you do without anyone asking. Or even better, without getting paid for it.

An example for me, I am a people connector.

It's something that I do every week, at almost every conversation that I have, I see a connection that I can make. So take the time this end of year to identify your strengths, and focus on them in 2024.

Trust me, it can make a BIG difference.

💻 A website I recommend to identify your strengths is Positran.

5. Life is made of highs AND lows

We often hear the word balance.

Well, I believe life works this way as well.As much as I would love to enjoy only successes and happy moments, life is also made of lows that are here to teach us.

Each time something 'not that good' happens, I take time to understand the learning behind it. If you adopt a "win or learn" mindset, you will find opportunities to grow. Because there's always room for growth and new learning.

This might sound weird, but I often have conversations with myself, thinking about a particular moment or conversation, to understand the learning behind it.

Then I move on. I know it's easier said than done, but having this perspective back helps take some distance from a situation, and zoom out to understand the why behind it.

6. ALL emotions are valid

That's a big one for me.

We often categorise emotions as something either good or bad. As if there was a hierarchy and if we feel something else, we then should suppress it.

It's often unconscious, we bury them deep down within ourselves and move on.

But what we're really doing, is postponing them.

Because they are here, they are waiting to be heard.

Our body speaks to us, all the time. All emotions are here for a reason and we should honour them.

No need to put words to them, sometimes we just need them to be.

🎙 I recommend you to read or listen to my conversation with Benjamin Casteillo.

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I hope these lessons resonate with you and will be useful for the new year.

I am now slowly logging off for a much-deserved rest. 🙃

It's time to enjoy some quality time with our loved ones and take some time for ourselves.

I wish you a wonderful holiday season and a very happy new year! 🤩

With all my positive energy,

Alya

PS: Have you done your year compass? If not, I recommend you this website, it's a great one and has a lot of space for reflections. ✨

As a thank you for reading this newsletter, here's a sunset picture I took recently