End-of-2020 Reflections

First of all, however long you’ve been tuned in, reading, watching, dancing along, etc. I want to THANK YOU so much for being here this year as I started this blog here on my new website, as well as the A Blythe Coach YouTube Channel and Podcast, and offered classes online for the first time! It’s been a challenging year on many levels, and feeling connected in different ways with my community helps. 

I hope you’re getting value out of my posts and all of the resources I make and share, and I welcome your input about what you’d like to see more of in the future! Speaking of sharing, I’ve got a podcast companion to this blog,  
#030: “Reflection on Theme and Goals End-of-2020,” and on the YouTube Channel I’ve added a holiday-appropriate, 20-minute:

Low & Stretchy Yoga 

And a Wintry Poem to inspire your celebration…

Reflecting on an extraordinary year in my life…

What an unbelievable year, though. I hope you are well and heartily celebrating having faced the trials we’ve seen in 2020 from health challenges in pandemic to political upheaval, financial, and personal hardships.  I urge you to be proud of your efforts, regardless of the particular outcomes you’ve been met with. 

With the holidays soon upon us and the new year peeking over the horizon, it’s a natural time to assess our needs and progress, stated goals and values, gained skills and accomplishments. I love getting organized to set up for success as we enter a fresh new year, perhaps this year more than ever! This way I can let go of the past, and move forward with momentum. 

I don’t mean for this to sound like a brag-fest, and I know I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have had success with some of my endeavors this year. I assure you that in many moments it has felt like a struggle, and in some ways any productivity has been a way to deal with anxiety and stress. 

And, in other goals that I set out to achieve, I did fall short. Growth in some areas is slower than I’d like, and I have to face my own impatience about that, and strategize to do better. I hope to learn from all of it, and I believe that it’s important to celebrate wherever I can. This year, I was blessed with the following opportunities and experiences.

A Blythe Coach’s Accomplishments of 2020

• Completed my YTT200 Yoga Teaching Credential with yogaloft here in Cologne, in German (it was SO valuable!)
• Completed A2.1 Deutsch and have a pretty decent understanding of the language, especially contextually, and improved my speaking (meanwhile teaching ballet and yoga in both English and German)
• Celebrated teaching for a full year at 2 studios in Cologne, extended my freelance work visa
• Learned to teach on Zoom and improved my skills teaching with video, invested in better equipment to do so
• Started the A Blythe Coach YouTube Channel in March and since then, have posted weekly content on ballet, yoga, and life topics 
• Started the A Blythe Coach Podcast at the end of April and this is my 30th weekly episode!
• Recorded a promotional video in collaboration with a local videographer
• Got a beautiful new website and logo by the talented Pixelchen&Karton
• Started the A Blythe Coach weekly blog in September and published weekly
• Created my first online course, “Finding a Grounded State of Being,” which you can access free here 
• Started a weekly email newsletter in August, sharing updates and exclusive content there – want to join in for updates and inspiration? Just let me know or sign up here
• Created @ABlytheCoach pages on Facebook and Instagram to share inspiration, support, tips, real-life moments, fun, and community 
• Completed The Artist’s Way 12-Week Program, learned so much from that, including how to give myself regular Artist’s Dates and Treats to fuel my creativity and developing a consistent Morning Pages practice 
• Completed a 21-Day Meditation Challenge with Deepak Chopra
• Read the Bible cover-to-cover for the first time
• Read over 35 books (so far!) toward my challenge goal of 24, including yoga philosophy, dance technique, spiritual topics, cozy mysteries, and novels… 
• Practiced daily Yoga, Meditation, Journaling, Moon Phase tracking, Gratitude and Abundance Logs, Music (learned “Aloha ‘Oe” and “Auld Lang Syne,” having begun with “Silent Night” at the end of last year), and Tarot card intuitive interpretation
• Participated in multiple weekly Micro-Workouts (about 10 minutes, 1-4x/week), Physical Therapy exercises (1-3x/week), and Wim Hof Method Cold Showers
• Started learning to Crochet and practicing flexed-arm hang, aiming to eventually do Pull-Ups… was consistent at first then dropped off a bit, will revisit these goals next year
• Voted in the US Presidential Election and also in a local Cologne election (for representatives of foreigners here)
• Witnessed to and engaged in conversation and activism around Black Lives Matter, racism, and police brutality
• And I did make it home to the Big Island, in January, thank goodness! Also lucky to enjoy some regional travel here when that was possible, including a wine weekend with friends.

I had started picking one-word themes a few years back and find that it helps me remember what I’m about and why I’m seeking whatever other goals I choose to pursue. So, my overarching theme for the year 2020 was “Courage” or, in German, “der Mut.” So many people have had such a hard time this year, and have had to be so much more courageous for their families that it is humbling. 

That said, I am only assessing my own efforts here, and having collected my accomplishments, as well as considering how I’ve faced the circumstances of each day, I do feel successful in this theme. I focused on being love to overcome fear, speaking (a new language!) and taking action where I could, as well as resting and caring for myself in order to keep going. I have been the brave badass I wanted to embody, having no idea what I would face!

I could not have done it alone, and am so grateful for the help and support I receive from my girlfriend, family, friends, students, clients, and colleagues!

Next time I’ll discuss the specific vision, skills, habits, and accomplishments I’m seeking in 2021, and following that I’m going to drill in on healthy habits that serve me and my projects and how to succeed at forming your own new habits to achieve your goals in dance, yoga, and life next year. 

Meanwhile, let me know what achievements you are celebrating from this year, and what you’re envisioning for yourself and the global community in the coming months. 

And if you want to listen in to one of the playlists I’ve made to boogie down to this season, check out “Christmas Carol Dance Class” on Spotify 🙂

Happy Holidays! 

Blythe Stephens
She/her or they/them
A Blythe Coach: 
Dance Education & Coaching to move through life with balance, grace, & power

** I have included links to recommend some of my very favorite books and as a reader, lifelong learner, and academic I hope you enjoy my recommendations. These are Amazon Affiliate links, and if you purchase them I stand to receive a percentage, cool! 

DISCLAIMER: A Blythe Coach recommends that you consult your physician regarding the applicability of any recommendations and follow all safety instructions before beginning any exercise program. When participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself.