Welcome to episode 26 of the Unlock Your Life podcast. I’m your host Lori Harris. Today we’re closing in on the end of 2021. It’s been a doozy. We’ve been through some things. We are going to practice and end of the year ritual that will allow us to celebrate our wins, clean the slate, and go into 2022 with new vigor and vitality. Let’s get going.

Welcome to the Unlock Your Life podcast, a podcast for highly successful visionary women who want more out of life. If you feel that ache of unfulfillment in your soul, you’re in the right place sis. Join life mastery consultant Lori A. Harris as she teaches you how to stop living for others and finally put yourself first. Let’s dive into today’s show.

So you know that I believe that gratitude is the most important currency, and the energy of gratitude works hand in glove with the energy of celebrating one’s accomplishments. It’s so important to celebrate the wins. We continue to be in the middle or in the process of a global pause, a time to remember and reflect that we all are in this together.

So today I’m going to share with you a special ritual that I’ve been doing with my clients and workshop participants for the past seven years. It’s a really glorious exercise and everyone enjoys doing it because it’s an opportunity to recall what went well and how we have grown over the past 12 months.

So it’s a ritual that was tied to me by the mindset coach Denise Duffield-Thomas. She works out of Australia. She has a practice that has helped thousands and thousands of people all over the world. She’s the author of the book Get Rich Lucky Bitch and the Chillprenuer. I have worked with her in in-person workshops and as part of her online community. This is an exercise that she taught me years ago. I’ve shared it with my clients. I think you’ll enjoy it as well.

A new year is a chance to shift things around, and it’s a time for us to recall and reflect. We think about the things that we’ve been through, the things that went well, the things that didn’t go so well, and the growth that we’ve accomplished over the past 12 months. Now this ritual is something that you can do by yourself, but it’s more powerful when you do it with a partner or with a friend.

Do it with someone who really sees you, who knows you, who gets you. They’re going to be your cheerleading buddy. The person who is prepared to help you amplify your own success. So it gives you a chance to have some accountability as you go through the exercise. So it’s very, very simple. you take a moment, you reflect on the past 12 months, and you tell us, “I’m proud of.” You can list your accomplishments for the year.

It could be something simple as I impose a boundary. I learned to really delegate well this year. I exercised with more consistently and frequency. I started a new health program and it’s going really well for me. You had some fun times with your children. I’m building a business that I’m proud of. Make your list as long as you possibly can. The goal is to get to 50 accomplishments that you’ve had over the past 12 months. Don’t be shy. Let yourself really reflect on what’s gone well.

Your partner? Their job in doing this exercise with you is to look you in the eye and simply say, “And what else?” Now you can do it where one person lists as much as they can for as long as they can or you can trade back and forth kind of ping pong style. The exercise is most powerful when you have someone on the other side saying and what else?

So as you do it, there’s no dialogue between the two of you. One person is speaking of their accomplishments, and the other person simply receives and doesn’t jump in. There are going to be times where the speaker is going to seem stumped, but in the silence there’s power. You look that partner in the eye and simply say, “And what else?” At the end of it, you’re going to be really, really excited. It’s a great time to recognize all that you’ve done.

If you decide to do it by yourself, then I just want you to imagine that I’m there with you and that I’m looking you in the eye and celebrating you. Because the truth is I want to see everybody shine. So I want you to make a list and try to come up with at least 50 things that went well for you this year. See how far you can get going with your list. Thinking about what went well for you this year.

So if I were to be doing this exercise with you, then it would go something like this. Oh I am so happy and grateful. Let me tell you about my life in 2021. I started my podcast. I built some new networks. I contracted with more clients this year. I’ve helped a lot more people this year.

I was honored with an award. That award required me to submit my name, to create a video, to share the video, and to be considered not only by my dreaming staff but also by my peers. I ended up being one of four finalists for transformational coach of the year, and I won. I’m very excited about that.

When you’re working with a partner and something comes up where there’s a pause like that and the other person says “uh, uh” sit in the silence for a bit. The only words that should be spoken is, “And what else?” Take that person in. Look them in the eye and know that something is forthcoming. More information will be there if we allow it to generate and come forward.

This has been the Unlock Your Life podcast. It’s been a great 2021. I so appreciate you being here. If you’ve enjoyed this exercise, I hope that you will share it with a friend.

Have you ever wondered well how does Lori get these clients? How do you get to work with Lori? The best way to do that is to go to my website loriaharris.com. If you can’t remember that, gratitudetrain.com will get you there too. There’s a place for you to sign up for my newsletter or sign up for a strategy session. It’s a great way to get started with the new year. We’ll come up with a plan and get you on the track to having the best life ever. I would love to have an opportunity  to meet you and talk to one of my listeners. What a thrill.

So if you’ve enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend. You can go to loriaharris.com/26, and that will take you directly to the episode. If you want to work with me, click the link on my website. Loriaharris.com, and I look forward to hearing from you. Remember it’s your life. Make it a great one.

Thanks for listening to this episode of the Unlock Your Life podcast. If you want more information on how you can transform your life and do it quickly, visit loriaharris.com. See it on the next episode of the Unlock Your Life podcast.