HAPPY NEW YEAR! I am incredibly grateful for this community and all of you who show up for this important content. I hope you had a wonderful holiday, ringing in the New Year with excitement and goals for 2023. As we were leading up to the New Year, I reflected on how much my life changed in 2022. I achieved so much last year; everything about that success has changed my life. 2022 was the best year of my life, and I am incredibly grateful for the journey, lessons, friends, clients, and experiences that made up my year. But as I’ve been reflecting over the last two weeks, I realized how much of my “old life” I missed.

My goal for 2023 probably isn’t what you’d expect. While I have personal goals to reach, like a certain number of clients, income, places to travel, and things to experience. Those things aren’t my top priority. Before 2022, I was so good at sticking to my intentional habits. I had a strong routine for almost two years. That was the beginning of all of this significant change and success. Then last year, I became so good at signing clients and growing my business. The two, however, have never co-existed. That is, they haven’t yet. I’ve always been good at driving my focus at one thing, never really balancing the need to thrive in both areas of my life. My goal for 2023 is to find that symbiotic balance between personal and business success.

Balance in 2023

In the past three years, I have successfully changed my life and established a business. Moving back to the city, I knew my focus would be on growing and scaling my business. But as that workload and determination grew, I started pushing aside things that have always been important to me. My routines, habits, self-care, and spiritual connection took a back seat to organizing my business, creating internal systems for success, and signing clients. Over the last few weeks, I realized just how sad that made me. While 2022 was an extraordinary year, I realize some of my priorities shifted in a way that likely won’t have long-term benefits. I asked myself, “how long can I maintain this success and momentum without caring for myself first?”

Balance is the Key to OUR success

My business is built on the understanding that you can have an intentional and thriving business WHILE, maintaining an intentional and thriving life. We do not have to give up one to have the other. When reflecting on why I wasn’t putting in the effort to “have both,” I realized something. I was upset with myself for feeling too “lazy” to re-establish habits and do the things I wanted. But then I recognized the former habits I had established were done by a different Lauren. I was telling myself you’re being lazy for not focusing on habits I was once so good at. But the Lauren who was completing those habits and thriving personally, wasn’t balancing the workload I have now. Now, it’s about establishing the same habits and routines under a different mindset.

Changing your Mindset for better balance

After months of being hard on myself and telling myself I was lazy, I realized I was approaching the process all wrong. Even though I’ve successfully established and carried out healthy habits in the past, it doesn’t mean re-establishing them will require the same approach. My issue hasn’t been establishing habits; it’s been my mindset about the habits. I need to find a new balance that works for my life now. I have to work on establishing habits that fit into the mold of my schedule and my life as it is currently. For example, I kept yelling at myself about waking up early. I used to wake up at 5:30 AM every day for months. And recently, I’ve been telling myself I was lazy for not getting up earlier, without accounting for how my life has changed.

I spend most of my day working hard on and for my business. I work out daily, have a puppy, upkeep my apartment, see friends, my boyfriend, etc. All of these extraordinary things and people are a part of my everyday. When I was at my peak with my habits and routines, my life was entirely and completely about me. I didn’t exhaust as much energy on the business because there was less pressure, I didn’t have a lot of friends or a boyfriend, and I lived with my mom. My life was completely different; it was the opposite of what it is now.

Balance is always changing

The balance or equilibrium of our life is always changing. We are constantly adjusting to new things, people, and opportunities in our lives. With constant change brings a continuous need to adjust. Our ability to balance work and life will always change, and that’s okay. There will be moments when one will be more important than the other. But, if we’re constantly adjusting, we create balance. My mistake last year in trying to establish my habits was thinking I was the same person, with the same life I was/had two years ago. I attempted to build an intentional life without adjusting. So, my goal for 2023 is to create a symbiotic equilibrium of business and life, achieving my own mission of intentionality in every facet of my life.

Goals for 2023

So, as we continue to ease into the New Year, I encourage you to choose a word for this year. What can you choose that will help you adjust or balance? I think choosing a word for the year could be even more effective than setting goals because, with each goal, you’re focusing on achieving that overall vision. As I continue to grow and scale my business, I’ll continue to establish a balance and vice versa.