Differently

2026 Differently

• Carla Reeves

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 Happy New Year...

A new day, a new year and a fresh blank canvas 

what will you put on it?

I’ve always loved the new year because with it comes a fresh canvas…. 

but, remember, we can always get out a fresh canvas and begin again. in fact we can do that all year long. 

What will differently mean for you this year?

If this message helped you, pass it along to someone you know.

Learn more about Carla:
Website: https:/www.carlareeves.com/
Connect on LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reevescarla/
Connect on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@differentlythepodcast

Go to https://carlareeves.com/free-class to get The Class schedule, sign up, and/or pass it on to a friend. Each month is a new topic. Come hang out and learn with us for FREE!

Book a Complimentary Strategy Call with Carla: https://bookme.name/carlareeves/strategycall

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Thank you for listening!

SPEAKER_00:

A deep change in the way that we live requires a deep change in the way that we think. I'm Carla Reeves, and this is Differently. Hey there. Happy New Year. If you're listening live, it's New Year's Day 2026. A new day, a new year, a new blank canvas. What will you be putting on it? I've always loved the New Year for this reason because it is a fresh canvas. And you're an artist. You're the artist of your life. And so am I. But remember, we can always get out of fresh canvas and begin again. In fact, we can do that all year long. So, what differently mean for you this year? For me, this year feels unique in the sense that we're entering a new paradigm of sorts, one where I'm finding that a lot of the old ways of doing things just don't fit anymore. It's different than the feeling of I want to change this or that, or I want to set this goal or accomplish this. It's more of like, wow, this puzzle piece I have always used just doesn't match anymore. So what will you be creating? Here are some new approaches that I'm gonna move through. Um, and I'm gonna kind of move through them as I share them with you. Um, and I hope that this stirs your thinking as you are setting out into a brand new year. My faith in God and my relationship with Jesus and my faith has grown so much these past years. And I've been practicing how this changes the way I approach and do business. You guys know if you if you've been listening for any amount of time, um, I am a recovering workaholic, high achiever, um, stuck in the productivity vortex for much of my life. And this last year, as I've been more and more unwinding from that, I woke up one night and heard God say, When you are rested and relaxed, I can move mountains. And I'm telling you, friend, I've been sitting with that for a lot of days now. And it's more, like I'm understanding it more and more, in that it's not so much about sleep and rest and like making time to relax as it is like a posture, a posture where I'm learning to let go of resistance, all the places where I resist and try to control or try to force or try to make deadlines and strategy and all of that. Those strategy and goals and deadlines are all good, but in some cases they get in the way for me. In fact, I'm really excited to be printing my first journal again in like 20 years, and it will be available for sale shortly. Um, but this is just a perfect example. Like I had set a timeline and a deadline that I wanted to have that to print by at the end of this year. And it just, there were just a couple pieces that hadn't landed yet that weren't coming together. And I was just making myself feel so bad that I was missing my deadline and just so much ridiculous mental noise about it. And instead, I just relaxed and rested. And like, sure enough, maybe like a week later, the pieces came together and there was nothing wrong. It wasn't a failure. And those are the types of things I'm talking about changing and just going with the flow more and trusting the timing and trusting that it's not always in my timing and that God's timing is far better and far greater. The other piece of it is just being more awake and alert and present and having like a relaxed trust that I will know what to do. Um, as long as I stay present and connected to God and spirit and focus on what is right in front of me, whether that's having a conversation with my husband or taking a walk with my son or on a coaching call with a client or working out in my Pilates class and just focusing and serving and showing up right where I am. I've been thinking about this a lot. That do you remember like there's a quote or something about like your like presence is a gift? And it truly is, not just for the person you're with, but for you too. I had another big realization this week that I have been creating my business for the past 20-ish years. And what I mean by that is I I've been running my business and doing business and wearing all the hats, but my mindset has been stuck in that I'm creating a business, building a business, and continuing to live in that frame of mind has kept me in a place where there literally feels like there's there's no finish line, it's never done, there's always more I could be doing. There's a never-ending to-do list, which I know is part of entrepreneurship, but my husband pointed out a few weeks ago that he saw that sometimes I carry like this heavy weight around my business. And him saying that to me really helped me see a blind spot that I hadn't seen. And I've decided I want to begin operating from enough. Like it's already enough. My business is already enough, just the way it is. And there are things that I want to do and build and refine. Like I do believe if you're not building, in some sense, if you're not growing, you're dying. But shifting to building from a place of enough has really allowed me to relax my posture and think about how can I channel my creativity in new ways, in deeper ways instead of broader ways. And my business is feeling more like something I get to do, like it is a privilege and an honor to do this work instead of something that I have to do. It's fascinating to me how I can turn things that I love and adore in my life into something I have to do that feels like a chore or something to be accomplished. And I really want to change my posture here. This simple shift in my frame of mind has got me really excited because I think it's going to make it easier for me to step also step away from the business and have more time in my day that I can go out and take a walk or go out and work out. And it's not that I do those things, but sometimes I do those things, but there's an underlying urgency of like, I've got to get back because there's more to do and I don't want to get behind and on and on. I'm sure that you can relate. The third thing I want to share with you that I'm sensing this year is that I need to be more grounded and anchored. Do you feel that too? As the world is changing faster than I have ever seen it. I feel very strongly that we need to be anchored. Um, I can see in my clients too, that I'm working with right now, that they too want to be anchored so that they can buoy and lead others around them. We had a dear friend spend Christmas Eve with us this year, and she specifically had asked if we were going to church that she wanted to join. And so we did, and she told me that she hadn't been to church in 30 years. And I don't go to church all the time either. But there have been times in my life where church has played a really important role in growing my faith. And in the sermon, the pastor challenged everybody. One, he asked, like, are you open or are you close to God? And I know my friend has told me that that question, like, she's really been sitting with. But then he also challenged everybody at the end of the sermon, that especially new believers, like, I just want to, he said, I just want to challenge you to try this out for a month or three months. Like, get in your Bible for a month or come to church for a month or three months and let it transform your life. Give it an opportunity. I thought this was so powerful. Like, what do what is there to lose? But so much to gain. It hurts my heart that um so much that there's been so much damage done by religion and church that has created for people to and has really repelled people away from the very thing I believe that we are all seeking. So, what is going to keep you anchored? For me, it is my faith, it is God, but it is my marriage too, is such a grounding force in my life. My family and friends, relationships, writing. Writing is a huge anchoring tool practice that I use. Moving my body and um, gosh, joining the studio for the last year, this Reformer Pilates studio. I haven't talked about that enough, but that has been very anchoring, very grounding. I don't think about anything else when I go in there, and much of what they talk about is, you know, anchoring your body and your posture and um alignment and struggling tall and all of those things. So, what is going to keep you anchored? And lastly, as we step into this new year and the dreams are swirling in your heart and mind, it's so important. And I'm reminding myself and you to keep our eyes on and hold our vision. And it's also important to have a plan that's gonna take your vision the long haul through the valley of disappointment when nothing is showing or happening yet. That usually hits around February. Something that's gonna carry us into the breakthrough zone. And I was having a conversation recently with a dear loved one who is in his late 60s, and he's realizing and said to me that he's lived most of his life in fear. Can you relate? I can. I don't want to be a slave to fear anymore. I want to keep stepping out because, in my experience, the more I contract, the easier it becomes to stay small. What does living fearless look like to you this year? And I don't believe this is living without fear, but practicing, you know, taking that skydive every day, whether it's in that next step or action you're gonna take, that next conversation that's brave and important, your next choice, these are the things, these are the emotions that are gonna carry your vision forward. Okay, so things I want you to know about and check out this month on the 21st of January. If you're listening live, I'm going to be speaking at the Purpose Gathering, which is where it's um with Ashley Frehan, and it's where faith and business and family collide. And we are going to be talking about doing life and business differently. And I am so, so excited. I will bring you more details. But the 21st, if you go to the purpose gathering.com forward slash workshop, you can sign up. On the 28th, I'm hosting the next free class, which is uh our topic for this month is write your life forward. So come join me. Learn a practice that can help carry your vision for the long haul. And then, as I mentioned soon, my first printed um journal in 20 years will be ready and available for you to purchase. And I can't wait to share that with you. So until then, happy, happy new year to you. And I will see you next week. Hey, thanks for listening all the way to the end. Before you move on with your day, pause and capture one thought or takeaway that stood out to you. Write it down so it doesn't get lost in the noise. And if you're ready to go deeper, come join me in my free monthly class, conversation and guided writing to help you see things differently and move forward with clarity. Save your spot, Carlareeves.com forward slash free class.