Success Leaves You Clues

I spent the last week reflecting on 2020 and getting ready for a new year, and I came to the conclusion that there’s no need to rehash what a hard year it was–we all know it and lived through it.

We survived one of the most challenging years we’ll ever experience in our lifetime, and I feel hopeful for what 2021 has to offer, even if it’s the second half of the year. With that being said, one of my annual rituals is writing my goals for the new year. This year in particular, I needed to feel inspired.

I have for years collected cards, magnets, and pictures with sayings that speak to me, but this year I needed extra motivation, more so than I have felt in a few years. And regardless of everything that we as individuals have gone through this year, I don’t think I’m alone looking for inspiration that reminds me that things will be okay.

In my office, slightly above a picture of the dock at our family cabin, I have two small frames that speak to me.

“Be brave”

“Just breathe”

I was re-reading Jack Canfield’s “The Success Principles”, a book I read almost 16 years ago when I was laid off after working 19 years for Northwest Airlines. The loss of my job was, at the time, one of the most painful experiences I’d had in my life, and I wasn’t sure how I would survive, much less thrive. But I did and have reinvented myself a few times since 2005, and I am sure proud of that.

I remember buying the book at a Costco in Seattle. It had just come out and was an immediate best seller. There was so much wisdom in this book that I decided it was time for me to read it again and find inspiration for the new year ahead.

There are many, many noteworthy pieces of advice and inspiration, but one written by Tony Robbins really stuck with me. It said something like, “Success leaves clues.” As I think about what I would like to do personally for my own business this year, I realize that I don’t have to start from scratch. I need to personally reflect on and react to what has happened in the last few years within my life and my business to see where the path will lead me.

Success leaves clues.

I invite you, too, to reflect on what your goals and dreams are for this new year. What can you learn from the challenges that you’ve overcome, the times that you’ve been out of your comfort zone, the lessons that you’ve been taught this year?

I started journaling again, and what I realized was that I had accomplished more than I remembered and that I have momentum to build from in 2021. My successes provided me with the clues about what I needed to do this year to reach my goals.

So I ask you:

What clues have been left by your successes?

This is your time. Be brave, and just remember to breathe.

About the Author:

Mary Jacobs is founder of The Women’s Excelerator. Mary is a strategist, educator and consultant who has a passion for working with women entrepreneurs. Her focus is on sales strategies for launching and building sustainable businesses for women starting professional service firms. Learn more about Mary at www.thewomensexcelerator.com.