Navigating 2023 taught me a valuable lesson in resilience and the beauty of embracing the present, seemingly mundane moments. Let's take the path of reflection together. I open up about the intimate challenges faced within my marriage, the turbulent shift my son experienced stepping into his teenage years, and the financial hurdles that truly rocked my foundation this year. This episode isn't just a chronicle of struggles, but a toast to the challenges we faced this year because they are going to be the catalyst for change in our lives from this day forward. With the new year upon us, I'm ready to share my chosen word for 2024: presence. It's a commitment to infuse every fragment of our lives with thoughtful, attentive energy, and I'm thrilled to invite you to join me in this!
Here's to stepping into 2024 with a commitment to presence, intent on crafting a life brimming with purpose, joy, and aliveness.
Navigating 2023 taught me a valuable lesson in resilience and the beauty of embracing the present, seemingly mundane moments. Let's take the path of reflection together. I open up about the intimate challenges faced within my marriage, the turbulent shift my son experienced stepping into his teenage years, and the financial hurdles that truly rocked my foundation this year. This episode isn't just a chronicle of struggles, but a toast to the challenges we faced this year because they are going to be the catalyst for change in our lives from this day forward. With the new year upon us, I'm ready to share my chosen word for 2024: presence. It's a commitment to infuse every fragment of our lives with thoughtful, attentive energy, and I'm thrilled to invite you to join me in this!
Here's to stepping into 2024 with a commitment to presence, intent on crafting a life brimming with purpose, joy, and aliveness.
Merry Christmas to my friends here who observe this day and welcome back to Elevate with Erica. Today is just a little year-end special episode and I want us to take a few minutes to reflect as the year comes to a close and reflect on what our intentions for the year were what went right and even what didn't, you know. First, before I recorded this episode today, I had this bright idea to go back and listen to my final podcast episode of 2022. It was one of those. You say your plans and you can hear God laughing moments at least, certainly gave me a little bit of a chuckle and maybe you can relate to that. Maybe your 2023 didn't go as planned either and, for one reason or another, you were totally derailed or never even took course on some of your 2023 goals.
Speaker 1:
2023 is a year that I will never forget and I wish I could honestly say I won't remember it for the things that broke my heart, but I will. But I've also worked really hard the final two months of this year to see what it is. I was intended to learn from those things, because I do believe that failures are lessons and challenges are lessons sent to help us grow into the person we need to be for whatever is next for us. So I don't want to just reflect back and say 2023 was a bad year. No, it was a year that propelled me into exponential growth because I've made that decision. It was a year that lit a fire under me that became a turning point in my life. That's why I will remember 2023, a turning point that is leading me to live with more joy, energy, voice and presence. Presence that's my word for 2024. Yes, I plan to curate more joy and energy and use my voice better, but presence that's my priority and what I will consistently be reminding myself of this year. In 2022, my motto was to get in the room, and in 2023, it was intention get in the room with intention. And in 2024, I'm reminding myself to be more present in those rooms, whether that's at home or in my networking and building my brand. Just to take two minutes before going into each to think about how I want to feel in those spaces, what kind of energy I want to add to the room, what I want to soak in about the moment that I'm about to experience, how can I be fully present in conversations with others and how do I want to leave others feeling If you two had a year where things didn't go quite as planned, and maybe for you, if you're like me, that's putting it kind of nicely what we decide to do with what we went through this year is what will actually define 2023. That's ultimately what I want you to take from this episode.
Speaker 1:
My marriage took a hit and we are now in couples therapy, which I'm not embarrassed about at all. It's a brave decision that not a lot of couples try, and I'm proud of us for getting uncomfortable because, let me tell you something, I sweat on that couch in therapy, but it's a necessary uncomfortable because the way that we were functioning as husband and wife was no longer working. I think that it's brave that we were able to own that and see if this marriage is repairable, see if this relationship is the best thing for both of us. My oldest son turned 13, and it felt like a light switch. His personality seems to have changed overnight and it's been a real struggle. The transition to eighth grade has not been easy on him and I am working to figure out how I'm supposed to be there for him in this season of life. Like every parent, I'm trying to figure out the right things to do and say without a rulebook. Co-parenting and shared custody just adds another layer of challenge to that, as he's not always in my home.
Speaker 1:
The second half of my year has been consumed by those two challenges and I've really struggled with figuring out how to manage those and still show up for my business and what I love to do, and that is to inspire and motivate others to get uncomfortable and charge up their life. But I struggled with figuring out how to do that when my own heart was breaking, which then in turn impacted my finances. So my foundation was rocked. My marriage, my kids, my finances all took a hit this year. Thankfully, I have my health and, as I have come to terms with these challenges and felt the immediate reactions from them and had my ugly cries on the bathroom floor, I am now in the phase where I'm learning to feel gratitude for them, for what didn't go as planned, and that's not an easy thing to say because I still feel the pain of those things.
Speaker 1:
But what I can take ownership for is that I got a little complacent this year. I got a little too comfortable because things were good at the beginning of the year and I liked that. But because things were good, I got comfortable and I stopped checking in with myself to see if I was showing up as the best version of who I am, if I was giving my energy to my kids and to my husband and to my business in the way that I wanted to, as my highest self. And I wasn't and I know we're not on our A game every day, but I wasn't on my A game any day. I got complacent, I got quiet, I got a little robotic and you know there was something heartbreaking that happened this year. That was not my fault and not in my control. I'm not taking ownership for that and I'm not asking you to do that if you have a similar scenario. But we can own what we could have done better and I am owning how I want to show up differently from this day forward. So can you reflect on your year and take some time to do the same? Think of what went well and what didn't go as planned, and what you can own that you can improve on.
Speaker 1:
In that final episode of 2022, I gave three tips for how to be more inspirational in 2023. And my very first tip was to get clear. Get clear on what you want and why you want it, because once you're clear, you can get intentional, both in resting with intention and working with intention. Except, life happened in July and my world felt like it flipped upside down. I mentioned in that episode that it wasn't going to be a road free of bumps. But if you know what you want and why you want it, you'll be super clear on the steps and it'll be easier to course correct when you hit a bump.
Speaker 1:
I asked you to repeat after me I am walking into the best year of my life. I am clear on what I will work on. I will fill my day with intention. I will stop letting myself off the hook for not trying, caring and not following through on the promises to myself. I will live less out of habits and more with intent. That's how we close this podcast, approaching 2023.
Speaker 1:
But I hit a large bump in the road and I found myself at the lowest point of my life and I'm still recovering from that pit and it took me a long time to pull myself up out of it and I'm showing myself some grace for that. But I'm just so glad that I feel alive again, an excitement for my future, and people have messaged me and people that I've spoken to in person as well have said that they see a change in me, that I look happy again, and the reason why they can see that even though I'm still very much recovering from pain emotional pain that is because I was so clear at the beginning of this year what I would work on. I was so clear how I was going to get in the room with intention, and I couldn't have planned for that bump. I didn't see it coming. It was out of my control and I couldn't plan for how long it would will take me to work through those emotions. I actually believe I'll be working to heal from things that happened this year for quite some time.
Speaker 1:
I'm not putting a time limit on it, but you can acknowledge what didn't go as planned in 2023. You can own any parts that you played in that and, at the same time, be excited for your future and be planning how you grow from this. Be dusting yourself off while standing tall. You don't have to wait until you're totally healed or back in your original, unbeat up by 2023 state to put the gloves on and fight back. I want to see us win. That's why I created this podcast. I want to see every one of you achieve every dream that you have.
Speaker 1:
What, if we start looking at each other in admiration because we just continue to try that we keep going Like damn she's killing it, despite the challenges she faced this year? And when we keep showing up despite our challenges ourselves, we get to be that for someone else too. If you had a rough year, I feel you, not only has what's been going on around the world been heavy, but you're battling things internally and at home that people know nothing about, and it's hard, I get it. But this is why I want you to shed light on what didn't go as planned, because that's when we can see where we can grow. That's when we can work to make 2024. Now, a repeat of the problems that we had in 2023, and it requires reflection and, yes, even gratitude for what didn't go right and propelled us into growth. If you decide to let it be that we find our strength in adversity, and I hope that you are damn proud of yourself for the way that you continued on, despite your bumps and bruises from this year and maybe you're thinking, because I know we can be hard on ourselves I could have done better, but you know what you did the best you could with what you knew then and what you know now and acknowledge now will help you be better tomorrow and into 2024.
Speaker 1:
I chose the word presence for 2024 because my life changed in the middle of the year and it caused canceled trips and plans. I was looking forward to you and, worst of all, I became a stranger in my own home and I realized All the little moments that I had taken for granted before, because in those dark few months I would have given anything to be back on the couch as a family and watching a movie, or around the dinner table sharing about our day, or cooking a meal as a couple, or take out night or the two night little camping trips that we did, or curling up in bed next to the man that I married and feeling safe there. And even those days when I felt so purposeful and excited to sit down at this desk and help others live happier lives. Those things are so hard for me to even talk about still today, because this is me still healing and it's it's really hard for me to talk about those few months of my life when that rug was ripped out from under me, but I can't change what happened. What I can do is decide that, no matter what happens from this point forward, I will feel gratitude for those small moments, those seemingly mundane moments, because those are the things I missed when I didn't have them anymore. And it will require me to be fully present in every room that I'm in. It will require me to practice taking a breath before each new room I walk into and closing my eyes and asking myself what energy do I want to bring to this moment, what energy do I want those in the room to feel from me, and how would my highest self handle this experience? If you're choosing to be more present in 2024 as well, then we're going to be required to slow down, slow down to speed up. I know it doesn't make sense, but we have to break free from being lost in the chaos, and we won't be perfect at it because we've been doing the opposite for so long. It's going to be hard to stop ourselves before we hop out of the car with the groceries and take a few breaths and think about how we want to greet our family in just the short walk to our front door, right. It's going to take a while to remember to start doing that. But with our intentional, consistent effort, I know that this is something we can all achieve in 2024. Can you try it today Before you walk into your next room, after listening to this episode, will you take a breath and ask yourself what energy do I want to bring to this moment, what energy do I want those in the room to feel from me, and how would my highest self handle this experience?
Speaker 1:
Even if you're going into a room with just you in it, I want you to be present in that too. Walking into your workday, do this same exercise. What qualities does your highest self embody? That's something that you should ask yourself, because I think for me, some of the qualities would include aliveness and compassion and patience. So what are some qualities of your highest self? Can you put those in a note on your phone to look at before you walk into any room, before you transition from task to task? Because it's a choice to be where you are and be fully present in the experience and the people in the room with you.
Speaker 1:
But when we are present, that's when we can truly feel gratitude for things we may have been taking for granted while lost in the chaos, the list of to-dos and sitting in one moment and thinking about what we're going to do in the next moment. Be where you are, be present, soak in the details, open your heart and your mind to those there with you. Put down what you're doing, what you're going to do next. Put it down and create space for those in the room with you. A positive mindset is what's going to help you bounce back from this year. It's what's going to build your resiliency to challenges in the future, and being resilient doesn't mean that you won't feel the pain of those challenges, but it will help you to see them as highlighters of areas in need of change and growth.
Speaker 1:
We are at the threshold of a new year together. I'm excited about that. We've taken some time to reflect back on our 2023 journeys together, and it's time to look forward with hope, and I want to encourage each and every one of you to be kind to yourselves as you reflect on the past and embrace the growth and positive change that you can experience in 2024. Every peak, every valley contributes to your unique story. What you do with the roadblocks and detours that you face this year is a testament to your strength, so take a moment to feel proud of yourself for choosing to even just still be here with me today, to be listening to something motivational, for continuing to look for areas in which you can grow. Do you know? Do you realize how many people wouldn't do that? How many people aren't here? How many people are just saying 2023 was terrible and 2024 is about to get a lot worse, and this is just the way life is. But that's not you. If you're listening to this podcast, I know that's not you.
Speaker 1:
Celebrate that, that choice you've made to keep going and keep growing. Free yourself from perfection and embrace the bumps that can bring positive change into your life. There is beauty in the brokenness that you felt this year, if you choose to fill those cracks. It created with gold. So let's commit to doing that together today, as we step into the new year together.
Speaker 1:
Remember that you are not alone. I am here as a source of support and inspiration and encouragement. Let's navigate the journey ahead with kindness and self-compassion and the knowledge that each day is an opportunity for renewal. Every room that we walk into is an opportunity for renewal. You can change the way that you've been showing up in your life for your loved ones by just choosing to be more present in every room you walk into. So how will you go, greet your kids, your spouse, your loved ones after this? It doesn't matter how you have been. How will you now, and from this point forward, how will you remind yourself of those qualities of the highest you every day and how will you embody them? I'm wishing you a year filled with more presence, more growth, more joy and the unwavering belief in your own resilience.
Speaker 1:
What can you expect from this podcast in 2024? From me in 2024? Well, as I said, I am choosing to let these challenges spark a fire under me and I am excited for you to feel that from me in the new year. The feel in 2024 is going to be heavy on some tough love, because that's what I need, and I know I'm not alone Heavy on self-accountability and heavy on curating joy. Every day, I'm releasing complacency and I'm fired up to fight to let my highest self take center stage. It is time for us to rattle the cage.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for being here with me this year. If you think that this episode could help a friend of yours, a loved one or anyone in your life on your social media, please share this episode with them and I thank you for remaining a listener, a friend, a part of this community as I navigated the hardest year of my life to date. Thank you for accepting me as I am, for your kind words of encouragement and support when you could feel that I needed those things back. You helped me this year you helped me by remaining here and I am so incredibly grateful for you and I am so excited to do 2024 together and continue on this journey of elevating to our highest self. Thank you, friend. Happy New Year, until next year, yclass you.
