As the year starts to wrap up (I can’t believe 2021 is almost over!), I wanted to reflect on everything that has happened in my life this past year. I think I can speak for everyone when I say 2021 was another tough year for everyone. We all battled our way through another year of a pandemic on top of all our own personal struggles. But guess what, we made it! No matter how tough this year was on you, or if this was a great year for you, we all have a fresh start ahead of us.
For me, I am pretty happy with how this year turned out. Of course, I have had my struggles just like anyone else, but overall I had a successful year. I made big strides in my towing business, my personal brand business, my family life, and of course my friends! This year more than any other I have grown as a person, and I am so grateful for where I am in this life.
To wrap up all of the things that have happened to me over the past year, I thought it would be fun to take a trip down memory lane! I want to share with all of you my top four blogs that sum up all of the growth and change that has occurred in 2021. Here we go, starting at number four!
This was one of my first blogs written in 2021, and I knew that in order to get through another year with a positive mindset I had to keep setting goals for myself. One of the first goals that I set for myself was pretty broad – out with the old, in with the new. I wanted to flush out any negative habits that had taken hold of my life. I did this by reviewing my gratitude journal! I looked at everything I had accomplished, but also the things that I did not accomplish. Why was that? Was it because I still had bad habits in place?
I took all of this negativity and all of these bad habits and I turned it around into positive goals and a positive mindset. Some of these goals were small, like learning to be more spontaneous. Others were bigger, like creating and executing my first challenge! I made plans for myself to achieve these goals by the end of the year, and I can gladly say that I accomplished that!
As you close this year out, I want you to think about where you were last year and if you are a better version of yourself now. If you can say yes, great! Keep working! If you said no, that’s okay. The outcome is the same – keep working on you!
Maybe not everyone can relate to this one, but I wanted to put it in there because this was a very important topic for me. I felt very underappreciated for a very long time because I am a female in a male-dominated industry. There were times where men did not take me seriously and they questioned my credibility all because of my gender – I was sick of it. I knew that I needed to take charge because I knew how capable I was of being a business owner. I know my shit!
I quickly learned to trust myself, be more present, and be ready for any obstacle that was going to be thrown my way. A big lesson that I learned in this process was that I was going to fail at some things, and I need to be okay with that. When I tell all of you that it is okay to fail and that is how you learn, I’m speaking from experience!
I am now going into 2022 with more confidence than ever as a woman leader, and I want to continue to support other women leaders in the industry to show them that we CAN do it! If you have an opportunity, take it and run with it. It may not be easy at first, and you may be uncomfortable, but being uncomfortable helps us grow.
I decided to group these two blogs together because they go hand in hand! Being able to grow personally and in my relationships has been a huge breakthrough this year. Let’s start with how I got my best friends.
I did not always have the greatest inner circle – I was busy raising a family and running a business. I never thought I had time for friends, let alone best friends! Then I realized what a mistake that was. I knew I needed to surround myself with people who wanted to grow with me. I am not saying it was easy to find this inner circle, because clearly it took me years to do so, but what made it easier was that I knew what I needed. I am a very selective person. I removed all of the drama from my life and found people who would grow with me, push me, and inspire me to be the best version of myself. Once I did this, it helped me become a better person – I could finally level up my way!
These friends showed me what was important and made me realize that I could have more in life, and this led me to prioritizing my life. My top priority, as you all know, has always been my family, and they will always come first! But I knew that I could not isolate myself from other priorities. I realized I needed to take some time for myself and surround myself with mentors, friends, and positivity. These priorities became an everyday thing. I treated it like a doctor’s appointment; It was something that I had to do, something I could not miss! Then it became a habit. I started taking time for myself regularly, and that was the biggest game changer in my life. I became happier, less stressed, a better person, and a better mom!
Finally, one of my proudest moments of 2021 – my first challenge! I have had this goal for so long, and I worked my butt off to get it done. It took a lot of hard work, a lot of planning, and a lot of self reflection in order to create this challenge, but I did it! This was also one of my biggest accomplishments due to the fact that I included my own personal goals that I achieved to help others. By tackling these goals myself, I was able to help people with picking healthy choices, prioritizing themselves, and adopting a “me mindset.” It was great to know that all of the hard work that I have been investing in myself and my business had paid off. The whole reason I do what I do is to help other people, and when I accomplished this challenge, it was making that come true on a whole other level.
Parting Thoughts
I am grateful for the people in my life who have supported me and cheered me on as I’ve grown. Thank you to all of those who took time to read what was written here today – I am grateful for each and every one one of you, too! As we head into 2022, remember how far you’ve come. Take a look at your past year – what moments were your favorite? What do you want to leave behind so that next year can be better than ever before? Who are some people you would like to give thanks or apologies too? Let 2022 be your fresh start and your year to keep improving!
Live Life on Your Own Terms,
Michelle Sukow