Welcome to Running to Myself. I’m Trisha Stanton. Life and mindset coach, running coach and host of Running to Myself.
16 years ago I ran my first marathon. The process of training for that first race changed my life. This podcast is my opportunity to share some of the lessons I have learned through the many ups and downs of life during my almost 2 decades of running and learning more about who I am. It is my hope that through my stories maybe you will see a bit of yourself as well and find a nugget of truth and inspiration to take with you. Let’s get started.
I love the week between Christmas and New Years. Most of the rush of the holiday season has slowed down and time seems to momentarily slow down as well. There seem to be fewer demands and expectations.
In the next few days, end of year running stats will begin to show up in my social media feed. Miles run, races completed, new personal bests and sometimes the epic fails reported as well. I’ve never tracked my yearly mileage, but always enjoy reading the updates and reflections of those who do.
What I do find myself doing during this last week of the calendar year, is reflecting on how the year was spent in my non running life.
As time seems to slow Between Christmas and New Years, I find it to be the perfect opportunity to reflect on the year that is coming to an end and set my intention for the year ahead. Before blazing into 2025, I will take a good hard look at 2024, the good, the bad and the ugly, the parts that were within my control and the parts that were outside of my control.
Specifically, I will examine my actions throughout this year and the outcomes they produced.
Today I am going to share eight questions I have been reflecting on this week as I wrap up 2024 and set my intention for 2025.
Questions #1
What worked?
When I first ask this question, What usually comes to mind first are milestones from the year that I would consider to be positive in my life.
What specific actions did I take that led to the outcomes I desired?
I also look at actions I took when things were happening outside of my control. What did I do that worked in those situations?
Question #2
What didn’t work?
What actions or lack of action held me back from the outcomes I desired? When the unexpected happened what did I do that didn’t work knowing what I now know and being removed from the situation?
Question #3
What will I do differently going forward?
How does the specific feedback I have about what worked and what didn’t work change what I will do in the coming year? Some of the answer comes from reflecting on what didn’t work.
And part of the answer comes from changes I want to make in my life that are independent of the circumstances of the past year. This isn’t just about what went wrong.
It’s also an opportunity to plan for proactive changes I want to make going forward.
Question #4
How did my theme word of the year impact me?
My 2024 theme word was HAPPY. Was I intentional about how I applied/used/was impacted by my word of the year? There were a LOT of things that happened this year that were far from what I would describe as happy, and yet, I am so grateful that I had chosen this word as my theme and something to come back and anchor to in the midst of the storms of life this year.
Question #5
What is my theme word for 2025 and how will I use it?
My theme for 2025 is Over the Top. I have already come up with many ways I will live in this theme for the year. As an Enneagram 9, this theme feels like a BIG deal. By nature, I am definitely NOT over the top. But I am excited to take on this opportunity to expand myself.
Question #6
What do I want to take with me from 2024 into 2025?
Were there habits I established that I want to continue? Did I do anything new this year that I want to repeat next year? This past year my husband and I took our granddaughter on a last minute trip to the beach for her Spring Break. We are in the process of booking our Spring Break trip with her again this year. A tradition I hope we will be able to continue for many years to come.
Question #7
What is the main accomplishment I want to achieve in 2025? (this one I am very specific about)
What is my game plan?
This is where I set tangible goals and my path for attaining them.
Question #8
What is my dream outcome for this year? (something that seems impossible to accomplish in a year, but I am putting it into the universe anyway.)
This one is less specific and more dreamy. I let it roll around in my subconscious and see what happens in a year. I have witnessed some remarkable outcomes from doing this.
I could talk about this process and the positive impact it has had on my life endlessly. But the purpose of this episode is to pass this idea of spending some quiet time in reflection along to you. I encourage you to answer these questions yourself. Maybe you have your own set of questions. Whatever the case, don’t go blazing into the new year without taking a look at your personal wins and losses from this year. It’s a wonderful way to put into practice the lessons of 2024 as a tool to set yourself up for success in 2025.
That’s all I have for you today, my friends. I hope you enjoyed this episode of Running to Myself. You can find previous episodes on apple podcasts and spotify or on my website www.trishastanton.com. New episodes are released each Monday. You can subscribe on Apple or Spotify to automatically receive each new episode as it comes out.
If you know someone who you think would enjoy this podcast, please share it with them! I will be back next week to share a little more about my journey on the road to discovering my truest self.
In the meantime, if you want to know more about my coaching program or have questions about one-on-one coaching or life coaching in general, please visit my website at www.trishastanton.com or my Facebook Group The Simple Truth Coaching. I would love to hear from you!
Have a great week and remember, Mindset Matters!
