Reflect on 2010 to improve in 2011

Julie Murphy • December 21, 2010

I spent the last couple of weeks talking about fitness, both financial and physical, for the New Year. It’s important to thinking about early so you’re in the right mindset at the start of 2011. But to be truly prepared for improvement in 2011, you have to reflect on what you did in 2010.

It’s incredible how quickly this year has flown by. For some of you, it was a trying time with the recession. And for others, it may have been abundant with new opportunities. Whatever your situation was, let’s take this final blog post of 2010 to look at these past 12 months.

How much money did you save this year? Was it more or less than you wanted?
What kind of debt did you accrue this year, and how much did you eliminate?
Did you get promoted at your company or find a better position at a different company? And did you get the pay increase you wanted?
What did you complain about a lot this year? And what did you do to turn those complaints into positives?
Where you able to purchase your first home this year? Your dream home? Why or why not?
How about personal goals you set? What steps did you take towards achieving them?

If you don’t like your answers to some of these questions, that’s okay. We all have things that can hold us back from achieving what we set out to. The key to overcoming the pull of non action is to recognize exactly what it is that is stopping you. So the first and most important step is conquering the crabs in your bucket.

I’ve talked about the crabs before. One crab in a bucket can climb out easily. But if you fill a bucket with twenty crabs and one reaches the top, the others will pull it back down. Identify who or what the crabs in your bucket were this past year, and you will take steps towards a brighter 2011.

Here’s the thing about crabs: they’re insecure. They see what you’re accomplishing, and it is forcing them to think about what they are (or aren’t) doing to improve themselves. So to feel better about the place they’re at, they try to pull you back down into the bucket.

Crabs can be anybody. Maybe it’s your family and their negative opinion on the home you chose to purchase this year. Or those friends who made cynical remarks about your recent weight loss. You know who is really in your corner giving you constructive criticism, and who is trying consciously or subconsciously derail your progress.

It may be painful to think about what went wrong this past year. But in order to really improve in 2011 you have to think about the decisions you made in 2010. Once you honestly reflect on this past year, you’ll know exactly what you need to do to make 2011 your best year yet.

Tags: new year, new years, money, personal finance, reflection, reflect, Julie Murphy, emotion behind the money

The post Reflect on 2010 to improve in 2011 appeared first on Julie Murphy.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

Share Blog On Social

A woman is smiling while money is falling around her.

A book titled the spiritual laws of money

Get it NOW!

Recent Blogs

The Life You're Waiting For Is Waiting for You to Wake Up

By Julie Murphy • August 4, 2026

What if nothing is wrong with your life? What if the frustration you feel... The anxiety around money... The constant striving... The feeling that something is missing... Isn't a sign that you're failing. What if it's simply your soul trying to wake you up? So many of us spend our lives searching for the next thing we believe will finally make us feel whole. More money. A different relationship. A better job. A healthier body. Another vacation. Another achievement. Another finish line. Yet somehow, after every accomplishment, that feeling quietly returns. "There has to be more than this." And there is. Not because your life is lacking. Because you've been taught to look for fulfillment in places it was never meant to come from. One of the greatest lessons I've learned is that life is always working for us, even when it doesn't feel like it. Every challenge... Every financial struggle... Every relationship... Every fear... Every success... They're all invitations. Not punishments. Invitations to become more aware. Because awareness changes everything. You can't transform a belief you don't know you're carrying. You can't heal a wound you refuse to acknowledge. You can't create a different future while living from yesterday's programming. This is why I don't believe true wealth begins with your bank account. It begins with your awareness. Money simply magnifies the relationship you already have with yourself. If you believe you're not enough... No amount of money will ever feel like enough. If you don't trust yourself... It won't matter how much financial security you create. You'll still feel uncertain. Real wealth isn't something we earn. It's something we uncover. It's been within us all along, buried beneath years of conditioning, fear, expectations, and stories that were never ours to begin with. When we begin clearing away those layers, something beautiful happens. We stop chasing. We start creating. We stop reacting. We begin choosing. We stop living from fear. We begin living from love. That's where abundance begins. Not outside of you. Inside of you. That's why I created the 21-Day Wake Up Wealth Challenge . Not to teach you how to make more money. Not to convince you that positive thinking changes everything. But to give you space. Space to slow down. Space to become aware. Space to notice the patterns you've been living from without even realizing it. Over the course of 21 days, you'll begin seeing yourself differently. You'll explore the beliefs shaping your financial life. You'll reconnect with your intuition. You'll learn how your emotions influence your decisions. Most importantly... You'll begin remembering that you already have everything within you to create a life that feels aligned, peaceful, and abundant. The challenge isn't about becoming someone new. It's about coming home to who you've always been. If your heart has been whispering that it's time for something different... Listen. It may be the beginning of everything. I'd love to walk this journey with you. Because your greatest investment has never been in the stock market. It's always been in yourself. And when you awaken that relationship... Everything else begins to change. With Love, Julie P.S. Sometimes the biggest transformation doesn't happen because life changes around us. It happens because we finally become aware of the life we've been creating, and realize we have the power to create something new. If you're ready, I'd love to have you join us for the 21-Day Wake Up Wealth Challenge.