Did the festive season throw your balance completely off-kilter last month?

Many of my clients reached out throughout December, grappling with burnout amidst the delicate dance of maintaining a thriving business during the year’s costliest and busiest period. Balancing work, play, family, and friends became more challenging than ever, leaving some feeling overwhelmed, overstimulated, and utterly exhausted. Can you relate to the Boxing Day Sickness bug that hits our house most years? Usually, with the critical provider (mum) because she has run around like a headless chicken, and when the excitement has peaked, it’s time your body comes away from survival mode. Then you get sick (AKA acknowledging you’ve been doing too much).

As an award-winning empowerment coach specializing in supporting mumpreneurs on their journey of life balance, success, and self-mastery, I find this time of year particularly crucial. It’s an opportune moment to reflect on the challenges faced in the past month and gear up for the new year. Prioritizing self-care in the ever-evolving cycle of self-mastery becomes imperative as we transition from one year to the next. Your self-mastery journey can be as simple as making a 1% change to your personal development. Add in a podcast, book, or educational video. Having that sliding doors moment in your life can be the most simple conversation.

The realities of the entrepreneurial journey aren’t always laid bare through social media. The pretense that we all have every aspect of our lives fully together at every moment is untrue. It’s not an ability we humans have. Amongst other challenges we all face, you may relate to using your business to work even harder through challenges and form unhealthy attachments to working hours as a coping mechanism. I feel you. I’ve been there at times, and it’s okay, but only if you can be the inner detective and spot when this is happening. Through your inner detective work, your self-mastery journey is ever-evolving. Who you were this time last year is undoubtedly very different from the entrepreneur and powerhouse woman you see in the mirror today. Success is subjective; owning that we are enough and bringing self-care to the forefront of your goals to keep that life balance in check. Nurturing ourselves enables us to contribute to our businesses, relationships, and communities authentically.

As part of your self-mastery journey in this new year, I invite you to sit down with a pen and paper to map out a timeline for the upcoming months. What changes would you like to make based on the lessons learned in the past 12 months, and how can you find a sense of balance and joy in your entrepreneurial life? Now, I understand we live in a land of technology, but the visual of this task helps us see the bigger picture. Personally, I like to buy a roll of paper that you would buy for the children. To be creative, add in the other people in your life.

While goal-setting for business is often emphasized in the new year, remember to set personal goals for peace of mind, sanity, and overall well-being. A little golden nugget I added to my journey was to include at least one day before and after a work trip and at least one post-event. This allowed me time to reflect, breathe, and digest some of the learning notes I had taken. It is so easy to fall back into the hustle of everyday life when we are busy, but these trips or conferences can hold tremendous sliding-door opportunities.

I hope you embrace the 1% self-mastery journey this new year and regularly add something new to your life. Allow and welcome the expansion. If you want a free tool to work on your life balance blueprint, please find me on social media. I would love to connect and send you the Life Balance Blueprint workbook. It’s had profound results for my clients and is FREE. From my family to yours, sending love, light, and prosperity as we embark on this new chapter in 2024.

This article originally appeared in the Winter 2024 issue of CHOICES Magazine