One of the highlights of 2021 was meeting Jonathon and his pug, Noodle, on TikTok. Every day, Jonathon posts a video of how his beloved pug starts the day. If Noodle stands up, it is a bones day. If Noodle flops down, it is a no bones day.

The difference is very important. Bones days mean you wear hard pants (i.e. jeans, dress, khakis) and get stuff done. No bones days mean you wear soft pants (i.e. sweat, yoga, pajama) and lighten your load of commitments.

The days have in common one great thing: self-care. Every day requires a level of awareness and attention on self, whether it is a long walk, visit with friend, or treat.

Here’s the link for anyone who wants to monitor Noodle the pug for their day: https://www.tiktok.com/@jongraz?lang=en. Jonathon shares uplifting messages every day—well worth a minute or two for the energy boost.

This year was full of way more bones days than no bones days and did not include nearly enough self-care. One of the big self-care events was to be a weekend retreat with some business women friends, but a mouse in the house scared us out after the first day. Self-care took a big hit that weekend.

There were plenty of bones days full of fulfillment, even when self-care was light.

One of the fulfillment highlights of 2021 was The Collective. A small group of eight or so share a Zoom each week for two hours. We spend a few minutes on updates then invite anyone who needs input on something to share, then we hunker down for 30-minute increments. Short breaks offer more opportunities for help if needed. It was a highlight of 2021 because of the new friends, learnings, and help provided. I highly recommend you form your own Collective to get $#!@ done each week.

Here are a few more highlights of the year:

• 12 consulting clients served. Their needs varied from upskilling leadership practices to updating HR practices to evolving their culture for the post-pandemic world and more.

• 53 executive coaching clients served.

• 12 Culture Matters sessions held with Kathy Holmes, and the participant list grew to 202.

• 20 leadership development sessions facilitated for Central Exchange. Approximately 780 professional women benefitted from the programs CX asked me to facilitate. This included the eight-month Leadership LIFT Experience, which CX requested Dawn Zerbs, Kim Specker, and I collaborate on as a main feature of the CX program offerings for leaders.

• Launched The Captain Program. This was huge for the VCG team! Thank you to all who helped us and who joined! Watch for 2022 dates soon.

• 5 courses taught as an adjunct MBA professor for Rockhurst University. Since becoming an adjunct in 2008, I have taught 40 courses, with 1,010 students total. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with each one.

• A ton of learning! I did not keep track well but took at least 10 courses including one on goal-setting from Stanford University and recently from The ONE Thing (big event coming up related to that one).

• Earned 3 Coaching Certifications. Two were earned with one of the founders of ICF. ICF restricts coaches from being consultants, so their certification was not pursued.

There were lots of bones days required to serve, collaborate, teach, and learn so much in 2021! I am grateful for the opportunities to work with a variety of people, for the guidance from mentors and teachers, and support from the VCG teammates. Everyone who shared their 2021 journey is deeply appreciated.

There were inspirational outcomes from all those bones days. From small companies scaling up to a few building new facilities to hiring people to defining dreams and planning to achieve big things—all experiences with clients were rewarding.

One of the most notable client experiences of 2021 was when a leader sought coaching for her transition to a new role inside her organization. While she was tempted to accept the initial offer, she did her due diligence, defined her role better, negotiated, and earned 39% higher than the original offer. The difference is life-changing, and she performs at a high level because she knows her company values her—they proved it.

When you reflect on 2021, did you have more bones days than no bones? Did you include self-care often enough?

One of my intentions for 2022 is to include more no bones days—whether Noodle advises so or not—and more self-care on all days. To that end, VCG is taking a holiday break from December 20, 2021 to January 10, 2022.

As you reflect on 2021 and plan 2022, what will be your intention? We will pick up there in the new year. In the meantime, I wish you peace, joy, and love—and lots of no bones days over the holidays!