After All of the Action

What Life Really Looks Like

So how’s it going this week?

I don’t know about you, we’re nine days into the new year and I already want to quit. The first full week back to my day job in Human Resources and my night job as a writer has been tough. I’m running on very little sleep trying to catch up on all of the things that need to be done after having had two consecutive weeks in which I’ve only worked two days. Even with me burning the proverbial candle as both ends, I know I can’t get it all done. And I am reminding myself this morning that this is actually okay!

This year’s journey for me is about running a marathon not a sprint. I’m relearning how to pace myself, balance the workload, and give myself grace. This brings me to the first New Year’s Resolution Myth that I have to confront and defeat before I can actually achieve my dreams and you can achieve yours.

Resolution Myth #1: We Can Have, Do, and Be It All!

Let’s face it, New Year’s Resolutions are often easy to make but hard to achieve. And most of us lose motivation to complete them within the first month or two. To help ourselves find success, some of the more organized of us might take these nebulous resolutions and make them into SMART goals that are: Specific, Measurable, Achievable (or Attainable), Relevant (or Realistic), and Time-bound.

For those of us who know and love Michael Hyatt’s Full Focus work, we might even go a step further and make SMARTER goals all with the intent of achieving our dreams (Creating Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Risky, Time-Keyed, Exciting, and Relevant goals that drive significant personal and professional growth).

Yet even with better organization and motivation, how many of us actually achieve all of the things all the time? I don't know about you, but for me it’s never. Some resolutions and goals I achieve and some I fail, and I find myself at the end of every single year being more upset about the fact that I didn't achieve a goal then I am happy with the goals that I did accomplish. So how do you and I break the cycle of shame and frustration from this myth?

Before we ever make our goals and resolutions for the new season, we first have to assess our performance during the last and weed out the myths guiding our actions in the wrong directions.

Resolution Myth #1 Breaker: Leveraging Gratefulness

When I finally sit down and remind myself that I live in a finite world with limited resources, time, and energy, I remember that I'm not infinite and neither is the stuff I work with. I cannot, by definition, have it all or do it all or be it all. That realization that I am trying to act out a myth rather than partnering with reality helps calm my nerves and get me to refocus on what’s truly important.

This deep mental reality-check pause makes me far more grateful for the things that I can be and do rather than being an ingrate toward myself and others claiming that our best efforts are just not enough.

Practical Application: After-Action Report

So before either you or I pull our proverbial hair out over all of the fails and the “not enoughs”, let’s do a quick reality check in the form of an After-Action Annual Report exercise shall we?

If you don't know what an After Action Report is, it's a military term that refers to a structured document used after an event to analyze what happened, identify strengths, pinpoint weaknesses, and create actionable steps for improvement. I’m tweaking it here to act as a hybrid annual review.

~

My After-Action Annual Report (Abridged)

How did I change and what did I accomplish this year?

As a Human Being:

Intellectual/Emotional:

I attended multiple counseling/psychological trainings at my church to help strengthen my mental well-being and my marriage.

I read several books—both fiction and nonfiction—to expand my understanding of human behavior and research topics for my in-progress books.

I became more patient with myself and others.

Physical:

I became a solid practitioner of intermediate-level aerial yoga.

I became a paid aerial instructor at my studio.

Bucket List Check-off: went hang gliding for the first time in my life!

I became better disciplined in my workout routines.

Spiritual:

I met with God daily for morning prayer and Bible devotional time, which helped strengthen me for each day’s challenges.

I learned how to let go of stress and invite peace into my life.

As a Human Doing:

Work: Day Job

I got a promotion from Warehouse Clerk to Human Resources Coordinator.

Gained my Mental Health First Aid Certification.

Work: Creative Business:

I learned the basics of working with AI to help delegate several administrative tasks.

I became more efficient with my time and resources.

I rebuilt my newsletter and reconnected with you.

I kept a weekly active presence on Social Media.

I wrote over 51,000 words of a book in a month.

I created my first acrylic pour paintings. (My favorite one is shown above.)

Environment/Domestic:

I was able to complete foundation work on my house.

I was able to complete a landscaping renovation project on my house.

What Failed?

As a Human Being:

Intellectual/Emotional:

I didn’t read any books just for fun.

Physical:

I did not become an advance-level aerial yoga practitioner.

I did not become a certified aerial yoga instructor.

I gained a small amount of unhealthy weight due to unhealthy eating that I need to shed.

Spiritual: N/A

As a Human Doing:

Work: Day Job

I was not able to leave my day job and make a full-time living through creative writing and art.

Work: Creative Business:

I did not publish a new piece of creating writing—either a short story or a book—this year.

I did not make a profit on my creative work this year; instead my company took a loss.

Environment/Domestic:

I did not go on a vacation or relaxing trip this year.

...

Real Resolutions:

Now that I’ve reviewed the successes and the areas needing improvement from last year, I can better decide what I want to do moving forward. Based on the After-Action Report, what resolutions and goals do I want to work on? Also, what improvements can I make in my habits so that I can be more focused in my efforts for this new year?

Resolutions and Dreams:

I accomplished many wonderful things this year, but I didn’t balance my life with much fun, nor was the creative work financially profitable. This year, I hope to change that. I’ll get into goal-setting next week. For now though, I want to dream pie-in-the-sky big while being well-grounded with my After-Action Annual Report.

Homework!

Okay, now it’s your turn. Do your own After-Action Annual Report to see what you accomplished this past year. I've created an After-Action Annual Report Template just for you. Find it below and add it to your journal (if you've been keeping one) for reference. May we each rewrite our world for the better!

Love,
Alycia Christine

P.S.- Missed any of the Devotionals this week? Find all of them on my website news page.

P.P.S-Need a special place to keep track of all of your Devotional thoughts? Try one of my notebooks!