Entrepreneur and cool human, Paul Jarvis, sends his State of the Union message each January to wrap up the past year and look ahead to the next. This is mine.

Disclaimer: Don’t worry, I’m not sending you political news. This is my 2017 wrap-up and a look at what’s to come in 2018.

 

 

What happened in 2017?

 

From the beaches of Bali to the Canadian prairies

I kicked off 2017 in Indonesia where I recovered from Dengue fever on a ridiculously hot island. It was beautiful and exhausting and was soon followed by a series of seven flights back to Canada (yes, being cheap comes at a price).

After five months in Asia, I didn’t even mind returning to the -40°C prairie winter. (Oh wait, yes I did.) Regardless, I’m fairly certain I wept from the excitement of being able to cook my own meals again.

I quickly got a professional counseling job within the local health region and learned a lot about people (including myself) very quickly.

For myself, I learned to:

01. Survive shift work (hats off to you regulars!)

02. Create boundaries to maintain my priorities (and health)

03. Adapt my self care practice to my wacky schedule

04. Appreciate strong friendships, deep sleep, and healthy habits

For others, I learned how to:

01. Guide vulnerable individuals through conversations on addiction and suicide

02. Better understand the consequences of trauma and unhealthy coping skills

03. Create collaborative action plans focused on safety, recovery, and healthy lifestyle changes

To be honest, I spent the first half of 2017 (over-)working. And after spending most of the summer indoors, I knew the times they were a-changin’. By August 30, the car was packed and all dials were set west.

 

On the road… again

It felt (and still feels) great to be back on Vancouver Island. I’ve missed the pace, the scenery, and the outside-year-round lifestyle.

I managed to snag full-time work with a local family services agency where I continue to create healthy action plans with individuals—just in a bit of a different context this time. With a regular work schedule (9 to 5 is still new for me), I have loads more energy to spend writing and creating outside of work.

Oh yeah, and in November, I launched two new businesses:

01. Self Care Gifts: an online shop filled with handmade jewelry supporting mindfulness and creating empowering communities and employment for widows in India.

02. Valley Creative Design: a web design company I co-founded to provide affordable web solutions for small businesses.

 

The best part of 2017?

Penny. No doubt about it.

After years of yearning, I rescued this ball of fur and love in April. This beautiful creature brings endless joy, laughter, and gratitude for life’s simple treats. (I think she knows I used the T-word.)

Penny enjoys: drinking lake water, running too fast on pebble beaches, ripping bark off of trees, and playing her favourite game: What’s In Your Mouth?

More photos of this adorable goof throughout my Instagram profile.

 

What’s ahead for 2018?

 

Each year, I set specific intentions using three focus words. These act as my over-arching themes for the year, providing me a clear(er) direction when making decisions.

My three words is a concept developed by Chris Brogan, CEO of Owner Media, author, speaker, business adviser, yada yada yada.

Last year, I jumped to F: friendship, fitness, and follow-through. This year, I’m starting back at the top of the alphabet:

 

Ask

You know when you meet someone who seems incredibly interesting or has done something you admire, and you don’t say anything? Yeah, enough of that. I’m naturally very curious about others’ approaches and stories, and this year, I want to make it a habit to just… ask.

 

Accountability

As I built my online class in December, I received routine emails from Skillshare asking about my progress, questions, and so on. It helped so much that I actually asked them to send me an email every Friday to check in. I strongly dislike pushing back deadlines, which is why I plan to share my projects and progress a whole heck of a lot more this year.

 

Attain

I feel like this year’s words are a three-step process. I connect with others through asking and gaining accountability, which then pushes me to attain my goals (and help others do the same).

Part of me thinks I should have a self care or personal growth word like “awareness” as a yearly theme. But to be honest, I feel healthier and more aware than I have in years (and this is why I don’t listen to the “should” voice). I’ve decided to invest my energy in completing projects that have been “almost done” for a while now and to attain previously set milestones so I can move onto new ones.

 

 

What can you expect from me?

 

01. Subscribers will see my (newly-designed!) newsletter in your inbox twice a month.

02. One of my main goals this year is to finish editing my first book so I can (finally) send it to my editor and publish the beast! I also have a second book on the go, which will I’ll likely publish first because it’s shorter (and I’d like to self-publish).

03. I’m exploring ideas for a podcast and YouTube channel to share self care with more people in different ways. I’m not sure what will come from these explorations, but don’t hesitate to ask me about them!

04. I plan to continue building and applying strategies to grow my new businesses.

05. Finally, if you haven’t noticed, I’m in the process of (slowly) redesigning my website to make it more focused, easier to navigate, and much less yellow.

 

 

Act on this:

 

What’s the state of your union? And what do you want this year?

Focus: What are your goals, themes, or intentions for 2018?

Forward: How can I help you move toward your focus?

Feedback: Check out what I’m up to and let me know your thoughts and ideas. Let’s grow together!

 

Leave a comment!

If you’ve set goals or intentions for the upcoming year, I’d love to hear about them and help however I can! Share in the comments below.