The Year In Review: Part One

view of the rearview

If we’re not mindful, it’s easy to plunge into the New Year with a sense of lack, disappointment, or frustration about what didn’t go perfectly. But when we take a moment to reflect back on what we are grateful for, what went well, and how much we’ve accomplished, it shifts your perception from a glass-half-empty perspective to a glass-half-full one, and that type of shift attracts more abundance, joy, love, and success.

So I invite you to try this two-part exercise.  Today, we’ll focus on Part One, and in the next blog post, we’ll complete the exercise.

Start by reflecting back over 2012, starting last January. Pull out your calendar if your memory needs a jog.  Make a list of your accomplishments – not just professional ones, but personal or spiritual growth areas as well.

I’ll go first.

What Went Well

1.  Online programs

The three online courses I co-created in 2012 were all very successful – the Pink & Green Detox Cleanse, which I did with Tricia Barrett, Visionary Ignition Switch, which I taught with Amy Ahlers, and Find Your Calling, which I co-lead with Martha Beck and Amy Ahlers.  (For a taste of Visionary Ignition Switch, the business school for visionaries, you can join us for a free teleseminar here).

The success of these programs was a huge turning point in my business because, after two years (and hundreds of thousands of dollars) of investment in my business, I had little to show for it in 2011. All that turned around in 2012 with the financial success of these three programs and the passive revenue model of online programs was a huge eye-opener for me, demonstrating that there’s another way to earn income other than trading dollars for hours. (BINGO!)

2. Mind Over Medicine

I was thrilled to sign on with Hay House as my publisher for my next book. Louise Hay’s philosophy about self-healing makes her the perfect publisher for this book, and Hay House’s curatorial slant mixing self-help and spirituality makes us a great fit.

I spent the first half of 2012 researching and writing my upcoming book Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself, which will be published on May 1, 2013.  While the book isn’t out yet, what I learned has fundamentally shifted how I think about medicine, and that has changed how I blog, what I speak about, and what I’m here on this earth to focus on.

3. TEDx Talks 

I gave my second TEDx talk: Is There Scientific Proof We Can Heal Ourselves? on 11-11-12 in Santa Barbara, and the video just went up on YouTube. (You can watch it here). And please, do me a favor. If my vision for how we could heal health care resonates with you, share it with anyone who might benefit from it.

The first TEDx talk that I gave 12-1-11 – The Shocking Truth About Your Health – is ranked #45 among TEDx views (among over 20,000 TEDx talks). It has gotten over 125,000 views, thanks to all of you who supported this talk and shared it with your friends. I’m super grateful that this message resonated with so many of you. Bless you. Really.

4. Mentoring Program

It was a true honor to spend six months mentoring ten beautiful visionaries. After years of frustration as a doctor trying to help patients transform in the 7 ½ minutes I was granted in the doctor’s office, having the blessing of an extended period of time one-on-one with these clients was unspeakably satisfying for me. We laughed. We cried. We meditated. We visioned. We strategized. We talked about health and relationships and business and spirituality and love. It was awesome. I feel beyond grateful for every single individual I worked with. Truly one of the highlights of 2012 for me. Oh – and in addition to touching my heart and fulfilling my dream of helping individuals transform, it was also wildly profitable. Bonus.

I filled the 2013 mentoring round with ease and am super excited to open my heart to a new group of clients – and to continue with a few from 2012. Gratitude gratitude gratitude.

5.  LissaRankin.com

After years of brand confusion, the CEO of Hay House, Reid Tracy, talked me into moving my blog to my own website LissaRankin.com, but I wasn’t ready to let go of the carefully curated, inspiring, gifted writers who blog at OwningPink.com. So I made a tough and kind of radical decision – to split off my blog but keep OwningPink.com running as the community site. Others thought I was nuts to split my web traffic – and potentially confuse people. But OwningPink.com has a life of its own now – and traffic has stayed stable there, while also growing at LissaRankin.com. While it hasn’t been a perfect solution to a tricky branding situation, it seems to be working well enough.

6. Savior Complex Recovery

I did a lot of personal and spiritual work dealing with the savior complex I inherited growing up in a family full of doctors and missionaries.  This tendency previously led me to over-give until I was depleted, and then I’d get resentful to the very people I was seeking to help. Big thanks to Steve Sisgold for his priceless guidance helping me overcome this issue this year.

7. Ego-Busting

My ego, also affectionately known as Victoria Rochester, went to the mat this year with my Inner Pilot Light. Making peace – and forgiving myself – for how my ego operates and how I create my own suffering has been no easy task – and it’s definitely a work in progress. But I made some big strides this year. Special thanks to Tricia Barrett and Elisabeth Manning for helping me with the spiritual heavy-lifting required when your blind spots are getting illuminated.

8. My Year Of Discernment

Last January, I declared 2012 my year of discernment. You see, I have a gift. I have the capacity, when I’m in a good place, to see right past the masks people wear and witness their Inner Pilot Lights. I can see the good in people, their spirit selves, their radiance.  But that gift comes at a price because I wasn’t also allowing myself to witness their shadows. This is why I have two ex-husbands – lack of discernment.

This year, I really worked on continuing to see the light in people, while also seeing – with love and acceptance and non-judgment – their shadows.  It helped me narrow down my inner circle of loved ones so I can focus my attention on those I really want to be with, those who lift me up and light me up and bring me joy and love me, so I’m not so scattered with my time and attention.

Do It Yourself

Make your own list of accomplishments in 2012, and then drink it all in. Celebrate! Give yourself a huge pat on the back. Savor your growth and success. Revel in your awesomeness. Throw yourself a party or treat yourself to a massage or just make a cup of tea and curl up with a good book.

You deserve it.

Congratulations!

Share what you’ve accomplished in the comments here. Let us celebrate with you.

Savoring 2012,

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