Written by: Jenn Drakes, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
It is January and that means a new year has started. Talk about stating the obvious – LOL. Here’s what isn’t so obvious. Normally, my articles are in development in advance of the month they are intended for, but I decided to create this article in the moment of the new year. So, what does in the moment look like? Well, on January 1st I awoke early morning feeling refreshed after a good and well-deserved post-midnight sleep. While the remainder of the household indulged their zzzz’s, I revelled in my aloneness and solitude with an amazingly scented shower, followed by a shea butter and coconut oil moisturizing regime, and a hair appreciation moment where I experimented with creating a new hairstyle. Before sitting to write, I was able to get some more tidying up of my surroundings (it started yesterday) done, and I was able to appreciate the resulting sense of lightness felt. It probably won’t last long, but it was sufficient to uphold the “out with the old, and in with the new” spirit of things. So, there I stood feeling, smelling and looking good, as I wrote my new year sentiments in real time.
My one word to sum up last year is “building”. If you do not have a word that sums up your old year, you should consider adopting this tradition of mine. It really helps in putting your experiences into perspective. Here’s the tradition. I enter a new year with a word for my intentions, and I close out the year with a word for the journey that unfolded. To illustrate, going into 2021, my word was “growth”. The intention of growth resulted in experiences related to building. I am always amazed at the correlation this tradition highlights between intentions and lived experiences. I can assure you the opening and closing words always demonstrate the power of executing against a plan. Something we should all be doing.
Yes, I have my word of intention for this year. That word was only recently chosen and will not be shared right now. It is my word, and it was the final ingredient to close off a season of reflection, thankfulness, celebration, and goal setting. From a prior article, you learn that Fall is the season that kicks me into gear with planning for the upcoming year. My word of intention will guide my journey. It is already guiding my excitement for the year ahead, and it guides my mindset to such a degree that I can reach beyond current day-to-day circumstances. Reaching beyond does not mean lack of awareness or lack of care. It just means, I can stay focused and can compartmentalise current affairs that don’t fuel me. Having intentions means you don’t need these distractions, nor do you need January-only resolutions that set you up for self-berating disappointment before February even starts. This article is encouraging you to find your new year intention in the form of one word that will serve as the beacon for what you hope to get done.
A new year is today, tomorrow and every 363 days forward. It is 525 600 total minutes. We speak a lot about not wasting things, and innovating even more things. I remember when recycling programs did not exist, now they are plentiful; and we are pressured to do our part for the environment. The irony is that our life is something we were given – gifted really. Does it not deserve its own anti-waste program? Should we all not do our part for living it fully? As of the first day of the year, I am recommitting to curb any tendency to waste – time, things, days, or minutes. I want to treasure whatever time I am blessed to spend with loved ones. I want to be engulfed with like-minded people who care about, support and embrace my intentions. I want the same for you. I want my writings and actions to influence myself and others to live more substantial, meaningful and caring lives. Doing so means consciously eliminating negativity and superficiality from your personal space. It means unapologetically setting zero-tolerance boundaries you value.
In this new year, we all have a potential worth exploring and growing. We can spend our energy on the things that don’t move anything for us or others, or we can choose to put effort into the things and people that fulfill us. The choice is yours. The energy you expend is yours. The rewards you reap are yours; whether plentiful or not. What we cannot get away from, is that our one life has a kill switch.
That motivates me to ensure I leave something meaningful behind, and that my time had relevance and impact. As the Beyonce song states “I was here.” We should all want people to know that, and more importantly, to know we stood for something. Case in point, we recently lost Betty White. I have never met her, but I was saddened by her passing because in her lifetime with us, she stood for something relatable to me. When many transitioned into retirement, she showed that seniors had a place in the workforce, and in so doing, she combatted age discrimination by working well into her 80’s and 90’s. She served others through entertainment, and she lived a full life doing what she loved and that touched many in very positive ways. Her body has departed, but her spirit and the associated memories live on to ensure we know that she was here. In this year find your way to live exponentially as Betty White did. There is no time for procrastination. The world is moving at such a speed that any deference will see you missing a lot of essential things and opportunities.
Pay yourself first is the encouragement of financial advisors, and in this moment, the question becomes what do we owe ourselves. If you are like me, you are owed love, compassion (what I call grace), latitude to dream big, financial and spiritual wealth, good health, fairness and opportunity. In order to collect those dues, we must act a certain way, think a certain way, and expend our energy in certain ways that results in cultivating self-love, self-understanding, self-visioning, self-funding, self-belief, and self-actualization. Yes, there will be people and circumstances trying to beat you down, but we must all persevere towards our intentions. We owe ourselves that vigilance because we are worthy of more.
Each year we should aim for a newer version of ourselves. That can be attained by learning something new, doing something different, exploring somewhere new, trying something diverse, expanding our perspectives, or even changing our routine in some way. Serving ourselves in this way is all about growth - of our mindset, our associations, and our experiences. A new year gives us the opportunity to refresh who we are, explore who we can be, and celebrate the journey.
Let this year be your best year ever. Let each of its days be your time to get more from life, and to power up for growth in yourself, your career and/or your business. Remember, we are living to build a life that reflects all of who we are. Doing so requires us to think differently, act differently, structure differently, and aim to achieve different but greater outcomes. It isn’t about easy, it is however about necessity to have no regrets, no wastage, and leave behind a spiritual legacy, very much like Betty White has, may she rest in peace.
is a Life Strategist and Business Accelerator who works with individuals and SMBs to Assess – Innovate – Accelerate them forward. In addition to reading this article, take in one of the Employ to Innovate shows for insights on a number of relevant topics or contact her to discuss your growth needs – personal or business.
Jenn Drakes, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Jenn is a mom, serial entrepreneur, and life advocate who hosts the podcast Arrays of Living. She is also the creator and co-host of the Get Awesome Show, author of the book Aladdin Carpets – Change your Perspective, Change your Life. In addition to Brainz Magazine, she is also a Featured Author on Plumose.co for her poetry and stories and Contributing Author on Boss Ladies Mindset. Jenn is a hidden gem in a desert of gems, and everyone who discovers her is forever changed by her personality and presence. Over the years of working with youths and young adults, she was crowned The Original Goddess to acknowledge the shared feeling that "Jenn is wise beyond her years. I find her to be almost an "old soul" type of spirit." Her voice and writings are powerful, impactful, and life-changing because they trigger thought and promote tantalizing, intelligent conversations. Today, she uses that wisdom to shatter glass ceilings and power up the purpose she believes everyone holds within. A belief that is foundationally based on all of us being born with a gift and a responsibility to use and share that gift to achieve sustainable happiness. Her mission is to improve how people feel about themselves and empower their sense of self-worth to achieve more personally and professionally than they imagined.
