My year in review as a first-time mom and business owner
Inspired by James Clear, here's my year in review as a first-time mom and business owner in 2023. You'll learn what went well, what didn't go well, and my biggest lessons. Plus, a look into my focus for 2024. Feel free to use this method for yourself!
Remind yourself of what’s good
Subscribe to The Good Space’s morning mail for bite-size motivation that inspires you in five minutes or less.
James Clear used to write annual reviews and encouraged his readers to do the same. This year, I’m taking him up on his offer. Feel free to create your own, too. His Annual Review answers three questions.
What went well this year?
What didn’t go so well this year?
What did I learn?
As Clear notes, this is a personal process. It’s an overview of my year and not advice on how to live your life. But, if you do find inspiration, please take it and leave anything that isn’t.
1. What went well this year?
A lot went well this year.
First year as a mom. My husband and I survived our first year as parents. The most surprising part was how much we learned about ourselves and what we’re capable of. Everyone talks about how to prepare for labor. Or how much sleep you lose and diapers you change. Yet, no one talks about how to deal with identity and routine change. We reached the other side after support from therapists, friends, and family. Life feels complete, and we enjoy having a third person in our family.
Kindness. Becoming a parent made me feel vulnerable. My new normal felt foreign and I wanted to find ways to feel like myself again. The kindness people showed me during this adjustment period changed me forever. Everything from check-in texts to getting me into a sold out concert. It confirmed for me that deep down people want to be kind and that there’s good in the world if we’re willing to receive it.
Copywriting. For years, I’ve been copywriting for some fabulous clients. This year, I made incredible connections and started testing new ideas. Another copywriter and I teamed up to test a copywriting subscription service. It’s still in beta mode, and we hope to get it rolling in the new year. It’s fun seeing how this part of my business grew and evolved.
The Good Habit Journal. I used to use two to three different journals to track my progress and feel gratitude. Out of a desire to simplify, I created my own journal that puts them all in one place. We won’t launch until the new year, but here’s a sneak peek of the pages.
Greater confidence. Something about motherhood flipped a switch in me. I have far less patience for bullshit. My time feels ultra-valuable, and my priorities are clear. I’m okay with saying no and less apologetic about what I want. My self-talk improved, too, thanks to The Confident Mind by Dr. Nate Zinsser.
Owning my decisions. My therapist helped me understand how I was giving up my power to choose. I told her I split ways with a business partner years ago. After feeling defeated and praying for a sign about whether to keep the business going, I got one. So I did.
She said it was interesting that I waited for something outside of me to say yes. Instead of choosing to continue the business because I wanted to. That changed my perspective forever. It helped me recognize how I felt about a recent big decision, and I’m forever grateful.
My husband got an incredible job offer in another state. Everyone told us how wonderful the area was, and they’d say yes in a heartbeat. But it didn’t feel right. So I decided to trust that feeling and said it was a no for me. In the past, I’d get anxious and waffle back and forth, doubting myself. This time, I knew I didn’t need to wait for signs. We decided to say no, and then two days later, he got an interview at a dream company.
2. What didn’t go well this year?
Writing. I didn’t write as many articles or pages for my book as I wanted to. After the baby, my capacity shrunk, so I couldn’t do it all. Instead, I wrote for The Good Space morning mail daily and grew my copywriting business.
In the latter half of the year, I got more childcare support and started writing first thing in the morning. Although not every morning, it’s more than before. My focus for the new year is to post an article every week and continue writing for The Good Space. We’ll see if that’s doable.
Finishing projects. I wanted to launch a copywriting subscription service and The Good Habit Journal. But with my limited capacity, those projects had to go on the back burner. I also stopped doing my podcast even though it was in the top 10% most shared globally and the top 15% most followed. I plan to shelve even more to focus on writing. See note in the “What did I learn this year” section for more.
3. What did I learn this year?
Build a support team. There is nothing like having a baby to highlight how important support is. I couldn't have accomplished much without childcare, friends, networking groups, or a therapist. Or receive that support without the privilege and opportunities I have. We’re not meant to do things alone. The support team we build around ourselves matters more than I realized.
Focus on one thing. Doing less to get more is necessary in a world with endless distractions. Thanks to Dr. Benjamin Hardy’s book 10x is Easier Than 2x and Cal Newport’s Deep Work, this concept solidified for me. The value of focusing on one thing and batching time to go deep is more clear than ever. This also has inspired me to lessen the distractions in my life.
I deleted all social media apps from my phone and am working on not multitasking. I aim only to do one task at a time and protect my brain power.
We can do hard things. Just because something’s hard doesn’t mean it’s bad. Moments that push us beyond our edges show us what we’re capable of. Often, it’s more than we ever believe. I didn’t think I could survive childbirth.
The concept was so foreign and unknown that I thought there was no way. And yet I did. Raising a child for the first time this last year was challenging. But the reward far exceeded any fear instilled in me from a family-phobic society. It’s been the most rewarding experience of my life.
Our mind bases its feelings and decisions on past known experiences. It has yet to learn what is possible in the future. The mind equates the unknown as unsafe and risky. So, it triggers fear and stress responses to convince us to stick to the norm even if it isn’t good for us.
I’ve done many hard things. I moved to LA after high school, networked my way into a music job, and wrote songs. I said goodbye to my grandpa, worked through crippling anxiety, and started a business. All difficult but so rewarding in what I learned. Growing pains aren’t a bad thing. This year has made me want to experience new, healthy things more often to experience more growth.
4. My focus for the new year
Adding this section because why not?
Write more. Post a new article every week and continue writing four emails a week for The Good Space.
Grow my email list. Through posting weekly articles and trying out Substack.
Consume less and consume higher quality information. Since I’m prone to anxiety and stretched thin, I can’t afford to throw away my energy and attention on lesser things. I can feel myself being held back by the multi-tasking and little things I give attention to. I plan to keep social media off my phone, create clear filters for what I say yes and no to, and single-task.
Listen to and honor my inner voice every day. To let that be my primary source of guidance and inspiration. I want to keep my environment as pure and straightforward as possible, so I can only take inspired action. Keeping the blinders on and set out to do what I’m called to create and not look outside of myself.
Grow my confidence. I’ll use The Good Habit Journal daily. Also, practice the principles taught in The Confident Mind to see how my confidence grows over a year.
Cook more. Use the knowledge from Superlife and build a catalog of healthy, good recipes that support the five life sources. Work up to 3 meals a week.
Read at least 12 books. It’s fun tracking my progress through the Goodreads Reading Challenge.
What would your answer be if you did this review? Here’s to a prosperous new year!
