Last week I asked you to share your best and worst of 2021 in one word only. It was wonderful to read your responses and to see how often the word for the worst for linked to the word for the best.
Here are some examples:
Worst – Challenging, Best – Opportunities
Worst – Human Misery, Best – Family
In the things that we often see as the worst, lies the seed of something new and good that can emerge from it.
The more people I speak to about challenging experiences in their life, the more I hear (once enough time has passed to absorb, process and learn from the challenge) how they see that the challenge and pain came for a reason – to teach them something that they can learn and grow from, and that their life is better as a result.
And 2021 is no different. It was a tough year and we made it! We can be proud of that.
It’s been another crazy and turbulent year, full of twists and turns, ups and downs. Even as businesses are doing their best to recover, we still faced lockdowns, canceled trips, challenges of working from home, personal loss and trying to remain as agile as possible amidst the changes.
It’s been a tough year to show leadership, maintain (and grow) your business and at the same time, care for your people. Even if you’ve had a good year in business, this pandemic continues to create chaos for many personally and professionally.
However, we know that looking for the silver linings, the things we can be grateful for and the gifts in challenges, is what builds our resilience.
When we make it through a tough year, we can look back and feel really proud that we’re still here, ready to move forward and continue to build.
So, let’s celebrate that by popping the champers and reflecting on what we’re grateful for. If you can do this as a daily practice, you’ll see your resilience grow.
I’m grateful for my physical and emotional resilience that has shown up throughout the year. Even in times when I wasn’t feeling strong, I knew I have the ability to bounce back. I trusted that ability and I bounced back, again and again. That’s what resilience is – bounce-back-ability – and I’m deeply grateful for it.
What is one thing you’re grateful for, looking back at your year?
Share in the comments one thing you’re proud of and are grateful for. Collective gratitude breeds more gratitude.
And then go listen to Episode 57 of Leadership Live where I wrap up 2 seasons of the podcast and celebrate with highlights from some of my favorite episodes.
Click here to listen.
And if you’ve been enjoying listening to Leadership Live, please help me spread the word by sharing it with a colleague or a friend.
CEO Bootcamp – if you want to be able to celebrate your successes and learn from the tough times, why don’t you consider joining the next round of CEO Habits Bootcamp. We start again in February!
Click here for more info.