2009 Word-of-the-Year: EXPAND

Note: December is Word-of-the-Year Month at Christine’s Blog. As we roll into another New Year, each day will feature a new guest author who chose one word as a way of setting intention for her whole year. Today’s guest is Anna Garrett.  More about Anna below.

I love choosing a Word of the Year!  New Year’s resolutions leave me feeling cold and, quite frankly, like a miserable failure by about the third week in January.

I take my Word-of-the-Year choice very seriously because my choices have always resulted in profound changes in my life.

My word for 2008 was Engage. The whole focus for that year was to figure out how to engage in my life and stop living reactively. I got a new job, moved to a new city, leaving the comfort and safety of the place I had lived for 48 years.  I stopped being afraid of what others would think about my choices. I began to think about what it would feel like to do some things that were uncomfortable.

All of which led very nicely into 2009’s selection: EXPAND.

I chose “expand” at the same time I signed up for Christine’s Platinum Mastermind group. This was a huge investment of time and money for me.  I had no idea what to expect. I just knew that my with my 50^th birthday around the corner, and my new life pretty well in place, my comfort zone was a little too cozy! I decided to just trust the process and stay open to whatever came along.  Now, as someone who LOVES security and does not trust easily, this was a tall order.

Into the pool…..

Our first Platinum Mastermind retreat was an eye-popping glimpse into what would turn out to be a plateful  of very powerful “expansion” along with a side order of “discomfort” for me and all of my newfound friends.  But along with this came a new way of looking for opportunities.  I have always wanted a “work situation” that would allow me the flexibility to work from home or wherever I happened to be.  But in my profession, that’s difficult to find.

So, I’m creating a solution. I’m starting a web-based business that will be up and running in the beginning of 2010.  It will allow me to be wherever I want to be and still work. This project has brought with it ALL kinds of “expansion”! I consider myself to be fairly technologically challenged, but I haven’t let that stop me. I’ve learned about things like web design, trademarking, writing an e-book and Internet marketing, just to name a few.

In addition to this, I’ve completed a coach training class this year.  AND I have clients! This is not something I ever visualized for myself, but I love it. My plan for next year (2011) is to create a virtual health and wellness coaching business.

And, to further “expand” my streams of income, I’ve also started doing property management for vacation rentals in the mountains of NC and plan to market the properties I manage as a retreat space. With the right team, I can do this virtually, too.

While much of my year has been focused on business and building those skills, I’ve also learned a few other things along the way:

• Not everyone likes my “expanded” self and that’s OK.
• The security of a job is good, but the exhilaration of creating something that is mine feels much better.
• Doing things that stretch me is much less scary than never trying them at all.
• The energy of a group of women is one of the most powerful forces I’ve ever encountered.

So, as 2009 winds down and I look back, I can hardly believe all that has happened! My investment in myself has given new meaning to “expand” and has paid off in ways I’d never dreamed of.

I am so looking forward to 2010! So much so that I’ve already chosen next year’s word:  Accelerate.

Watch out world!

Anna Garrett is newly transplanted to the mountains of Western North Carolina. She is a pharmacist (and accountant) by training, but is busy figuring out how to spend the summer of ‘11 in France by creating an awesome ‘10.  Anna creates great vacation experiences in WNC at www.chimneyrockvacations.com. She lives with her husband, Dan, and best-ever-dog, Max, in downtown Asheville.

Tagged as: anna garrett, christine kane, new years resolutions, word-of-the-year

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