Attention, attention: you’ve made it to the final month of the year! We challenge you to close out 2017 by celebrating the many blessings that came your way and to get in the habit of applauding your good news. It’s tempting to go from one accomplishment to the next and to spend the final weeks of the year plotting for the next 365 days. Yet, in constantly looking to the future, we can miss the magic of the moment and all we have achieved.
Take Inventory
For the last few years I have ended the year acknowledging my blessings and achievements with questions from business coach Jullien Gordon. First I list “Goals I achieved personally and professionally through focused effort” followed by “Goals I helped others achieve.” Next I list moments and experiences that didn’t have to happen for me and others from a clean bill of health to making new friends. Taking the time to cheer for the many things that went right reminds us how far we have come.
Salute the Small Things
Did you find a way to give tough feedback in an effective way? Took the stairs at work? Wiped your makeup off before bed? Tuned out the news? Recognize the amazing little things you get done on the daily basis and give yourself the credit you deserve. You are pretty amazing.
Get Toast Ready
The next time you are grocery shopping buy a bottle or two of bubbly. And when you have a kick-ass day or good news come your way, pop it open. Life is a gift we unpack each day. Take every opportunity to clap and raise a glass.
Book Your Birthday
Whether you are turning 34 or 48 in 2018, it’s a year you’ve never seen and an occasion worth celebrating. Send a save the date now to commemorate the miracle that is you doing an exciting activity with people you love.
Look How Far You’ve Come
You may not be where you want to be just yet, but baby, you are not where you used to be. This past summer marked 10 years since I graduated from Howard University and walked through the doors of ESSENCE. A decade later I have the honor of creating content to make your world better as a Senior Editor and I am forever grateful. Connect with the woman you once were. She would be proud of you now.
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Charreah K. Jackson is ESSENCE Senior Editor, Lifestyle and Relationships and the author of Boss Bride: The Powerful Woman’s Playbook for Love and Success. Let her know how you are celebrating your 2017 on social @Charreah.
This feature originally appeared in the December 2016 Issue of ESSENCE Magazine.
