2014 Future Letter Review
photo by Brklyn View Photography
One of my favorite yearly rituals is the future letter. I love writing detailed goals, but I also love being able take a step back and look at the big picture. When I originally learned about a future letter (from my friend Jess), I loved the blend of detailed goals with big picture thinking. In essence, a future letter is a letter you write to yourself in the beginning of the year, as if you were looking back on that same year and have already accomplished it all. It's a fun twist.
Here's the letter I wrote to myself in early 2014, laying out what I thought would happen over the year. Now that 2014 is over, let's recap what's happened.
In the first few paragraphs of the letter, I was referring to my decision to leave my full time job, which at the time I couldn't share. Ahem, my old coworkers are avid blog followers, and I wasn't ready to let the cat out of the bag. Truth is, I spent years planning to leave my job. But 2014 is the year it actually happened. There were a million moving pieces, and everything needed to come together just so. They did, for the most part, leading to the verdict of goal met.
I think that, even though I took some HUGE steps with Sincerely, Jackie, 2014 was mostly a year of personal growth and change. In my letter, I seemed prepared for the intense year, but man, it was WAY more intense than I imagined it would be. My husband and I sold our first home, moved in with my parents for a few months, and then purchased our current home. We traveled to Italy together, paid off a bunch of debt, and prepared to (and then did) kiss my steady salary goodbye. For our goal of moving back near friends and family, goal very met. We love our new home and location. And we DID host Thanksgiving this year, which involved 29 people and not one, but two deep fried turkeys. Booya.
In my 2014 letter, I allowed myself a lot of room for the emotions I anticipated coming with all of the change. I'm glad I didn't put an insane amout of pressure on myself, or on growing Sincerely, Jackie. I mean, SJ did grow in 2014 (I quadrupled the number of clients I had from the prior year!), but I really focused more on the personal and emotional growth that needed to happen. Change is hard. I cried a lot. Like, a lot lot. There was one weekend that I cried so much my husband actually thought maybe a screw came lose and I'd never stop crying. During all of the changes I was working so hard at keeping it all together. I was a champ during the home selling and buying; I was a champ on the my last day at work; I was a champ for the first three weeks working solo for Sincerely, Jackie. But then all of the change caught up with me and I couldn't stop myself from feeling overwhelmed. I cried because I was sad to not be around my very best office friends anymore, I cried because the comparison trap kicked in and I realized my new home wasn't a giant mansion with a white picket fence and I knew I would probably never have that (which, seriously, I needed to get over myself, my home is pretty awesome and I know it), I cried because I was so proud of myself and the fact that I had the balls to leave my job, I cried because I was so proud of my husband and so damn thankful to have him, and I cried because I simply didn't recognize my life anymore. But after all the crying was done, I felt amazing. And, as I said in my 2014 letter, I felt like I did it. Guys, I did it. I might have ended 2014 a little battered and bruised, but my God, I did it. And I am so, so, so happy. I am staring at 2015, with so much less baggage, so much less pressure, and I am ready.
I give myself a big, giant, overall GOAL MET.
So there you have it, my 2014 future letter review. Excuse me now while I go pour my husband and myself a glass of champagne. I think we deserve it, no?!
Coming up next week is my 2015 future letter, which will be much more focused on Sincerely, Jackie and business growth.
Come back every Thursday for a coffee (or tea!) date. During our
, I let my hair down and chat a bit more personally about whatever's on my mind, as if we were old friends catching up over a cup of java at the local coffee house. See you next week!
Sincerely,
