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Through in depth conversations with a wide range of guests, Solving for Joy explores the idea that we are always trying to solve life's equation for maximal joy. We'll discover what constants are actually variables we can change and have a lot of laughs along the way. Dr. Chrissie Ott brings a coaching lens, experience in healthcare, entrepreneurship and creativity to the table. We hope this podcast is a tool for many to reclaim delight in their own personal and professional lives!
Chrissie Ott (00:00)
This is not a gratitude list. This is not a performance review. This is an audit of your worth, your wisdom, and your becoming.
When you begin this year as the person you've become rather than the person you used to be, everything has the potential to shift.
tell you a secret. I freaking hate New Year's resolutions. I hate them. And I'm very resistant to goal setting.
but deciding what becomes your new baseline, that feels like it has juice to me. That is the foundation from which everything else can grow.
Chrissie Ott (00:35)
You're listening to Solving for Joy. I'm your host, Dr. Chrissie Ott, a multi-boarded integrative physician and professional certified life and career coach.
Chrissie Ott (00:45)
This podcast is about joy, what it means, how we find it, and the creative ways people are solving for it in their
Chrissie Ott (00:52)
own lives.
I'm so glad you're here.
Chrissie Ott (00:56)
Hello friends and welcome to this end of year episode of the Solving for Joy podcast. I am your host, Dr. Chrissie Ott It is wonderful to be with you again. And today is an opportunity for me to speak with you alone for a change. We usually have a guest and talk about all the different ways we solve for joy. But today I want to offer you a tool.
an end of year accounting tool, a taking stock of where you've been and really closing out our mental accounts and relationship to ourselves as we move into this time of transition with the new year. So this was offered to the members of the Physician Coaching Collective a few weeks ago.
and we call it the end of year accounting, the self concept version. So this is a framework designed for anyone who wants to close the year with an extra dose of intention, clarity, and self recognition. This is a version of self compassion where we give ourselves a moment to actually acknowledge what we have been through, what we have grown through.
to whom we have contributed and think about that as value in the world, the same way we might be closing our books in our financial world. So accountants and financial professionals close the year each year reconciling all of their accounts with great precision, at least in an ideal world they do. They categorize every transaction systematically. They...
deliberately evaluate assets and liabilities, and they determine appreciation and depreciation accurately. And then they prepare for the year ahead based on their newly understood ledgers. I am going to posit that our self-concept is the business we run.
that our experiences are the transactions, that our growth is the appreciation, that our lessons and limits are the adjustments or depreciations, if you will. And at the year's end, we don't just set goals, we reconcile who we've been and we claim who we have become through that process.
So not just self-evaluation, self-recognition. This is not just another self-improvement project. This is deep, aware, intentional self-appreciation. And it relates to solving for joy because one of the most assured joy blockers is lack of self-appreciation. If we do not have an awareness or acknowledgement of where we've been,
and our wins, if you will, our growth, our development, we are much more likely to unintentionally devolve into self-criticism, habitual devorantiality, poorly attended boundaries, and so on. So the six segments of this self-concept accounting that we're going to go through, each mirror a real accounting.
We are going to talk about a general ledger and I'm going to invite you several times during this podcast to hit pause, to pick up your pen and actually journal, actually write things down quarter by quarter. What were the big things that happened this year? What did I learn? What did I go through? What challenges did I undertake? So general ledger, number two, a depreciation review, releasing what no longer serves you.
and doing it intentionally.
Categorization after the general ledger. We want to actually put those events into buckets. We want to call that bucket growth. Do we want to call that bucket grief? We call that bucket delight adventure. Challenge. What do we want to call that bucket? After the general ledger categorization and depreciation review, we are going to talk about the appreciation statement. We are going to name.
what within us has increased in value this year. Then we're going to look at a net worth statement.
So perhaps you're a person that manages their finances with awareness of their net worth on a quarterly or annual basis. So this is your net worth statement. Who are you today versus yesterday? Do you have more value in the world in some way?
And this is not the same as worthiness. Worthiness is complete and cannot be improved upon or subtracted from. So let me just say, this is not worthiness. But how do you bring even more value today than you did a year ago? Whether that's to your relationships, to your professional endeavors, to your creative endeavors, et cetera. And finally, I will invite you to form a strategic plan rooted in these opening balances.
So your strategic plan might be that you acknowledge how much value you're bringing and you seek reimbursement that better reflects that value. Perhaps your strategic plan is you recognize how much personal growth you've done and you're looking for friendships and intimate relationships that reflect that back to you. These are just ideas off the top of my head.
I am excited to hear where this goes for you. So please take this invitation to connect back. Email us at solvingforjoy at joypointsolutions.com or send us a DM on Instagram. So starting with our first statement, the general ledger. You've heard about what it is already. We're just gonna take a minute to think what are the experiences
that deserved to be written into your ledger because they shaped you this year. This is not a performance review. This is not a what went well and what did not go well. It's really a comprehensive record of transactions, emotional, professional, personal. I'd like to invite you to write without any judgment. Simply document what happened and how it impacted you.
This can and probably should include any wins that you might have recorded during the year in your wins folder. If you are a client of mine, you probably have been invited to develop a wins folder where you remember routinely to actually document the things that we could classify as wins. Also, failures or things that are perceived as failures.
that deepened your insight, your wisdom.
moments of courage that you might not have fully named that at the time.
painful experiences that maybe shifted your understanding.
gifts that arrived when you needed them. Things you handled well despite being under pressure. And I would include things that you wish that you would handle differently. I cannot remember how many times I yelled at my sweet, sweet daughter this year, but I wish that they were less. However many they were. Luckily, we do a lot of repair making. So I'm going to invite you to pause.
the podcast and write your general ledger out in quarters. And when you're done, come back.
Okay, welcome back if you took a pause. Statement number two is the categorization. Putting those events into identity buckets. So now that we have the general ledger, I want you to classify them as growth assets, learning expenses, or internal investments.
Without proper categorization, it is difficult to see patterns, measure growth, or make strategic decisions. I remember a time many years ago when my banking app demonstrated to me how much money my wife and I at the time were spending on dining out. It was mind boggling. We didn't have a budget, and so we really were just winging it.
when I realized how much money we were spending mindlessly on dining out, it was a real wake-up call. But I could never have had that insight without the actual accounting of it. So this is an exercise in awareness, not judgment. It might result in a course correction, but we can course correct without judgment, just as a reminder. So growth assets. Look through your list, the things on your ledger.
and look for experiences, new skills, relationships, or just moments that stand out, that increased your capacity, your confidence, your competence. They may have felt joyful or difficult in the moment, but they built something lasting. My example that immediately stands out as a growth asset was the entire year of planning
and then executing the Physician Coaching Summit. You have heard me talk about it many times at the end of and during this podcast, and it became such a big part of my life this year. Being in person with those 32 physician coaches was profound growth and joy, and also there was so much challenge getting there.
financial challenge, logistical challenge, relational challenge, energetic challenge, and just so many facets. growth assets might look like navigating a difficult conversation or contract negotiation. It might be completing a project. Maybe you published this year. you got a promotion and it took a lot to get there. you established a new boundary.
Maybe you took up crocheting. Maybe you perfected your sourdough recipe. Whatever it is, you get to name it a growth asset.
So pause and take a moment with that. Learning expenses. All right, what cost you something but increased your wisdom or value? So these experiences required some kind of payment. We can experience that. We could name that loss. You had to give something to get something here. So it was time or energy or emotional labor or money, actual money.
but it delivered a valuable lesson in return. Perhaps a business mistake that taught you something essential, a relationship that ended but showed you more of what you need or something where you fell short of your goal but clarified your values. I am going to tell you that as a serial entrepreneur who is not risk averse, I have made many adventurous decisions and some of them have turned out
you know, aces and others have just been very lessons. So I contracted for a few months earlier in 2025 with a company that connects coaches and others with ideal clients through LinkedIn. So if you listen to this podcast and you got a
you know, kind of a cold DM from me on LinkedIn. That was probably part of that experience and experiment. And it was a, it was a costly learning expense, friends. think that it was costly financially, but it was also costly in terms of like, I was sort of outside of my value set. And I learned that, but only after living into that decision for a little while. So if you have made a decision and lived into it for a while and then realized
This really doesn't work for me. That is a learning expense. So I'm going to invite you to go through your ledger. And maybe this triggers some more memories to add to the ledger even. But without shame, if we can do it without shame, we can shush the shame a little bit. Just check it out and see where is there something that you exchanged your energy, either in the form of time, emotional labor, or actual money.
got something back. Okay, and the third category that we will mention here are internal investments. So these are the resources that you intentionally allocated to your own development and well-being. If you are somebody who is investing in coaching, in therapy, in a group program, in a course, in a new degree,
any of those things show up here. I'm gonna say this also includes self-care like massage or gym membership or maybe you have a personal trainer. Things that enhance your healing, your rest, your creativity, your relationships, your boundaries.
This could be saying no to protect your energy. Trying to remember, there was something I said no to just because I didn't have energy for it just over the holidays and over probably several things, but just to say no is such a relief sometimes. This might be deciding to check on a friend from another.
era of your life and just to re-deepen that connection and relationship. My friend Kristen from high school, I don't know if you're out there listening right now, but it has been so wonderful to invest a little bit more time in connecting with you.
So think about that as an internal investment different than a learning expense. And if you have a hard time finding your internal investments, that is something to think about. They may not always show instantaneous returns, but these are the investments that truly compound over time and do impact massively your end of year net worth statement on the self-concept level.
⁓ Are you still with me? We're going on to the third statement, which is the depreciation review. This is where we are releasing what no longer holds value. In accounting, depreciation is like, I don't know, I never really understand it. I remember there are rules. just like, ugh, I'm glad I don't have to do that professionally. Because you're like, how much is my computer worth this year compared to last year? Or how much is my work vehicle?
depreciated, blah, blah. This is different. This is like assets that no longer serve you, something that's become obsolete. We have to remove them from the books to reflect our current reality. So if you have done those internal investments, whether on your own or with support, you have probably identified some beliefs, some limiting beliefs.
some habits and some self-concepts that once served you but no longer actually serve you. So we're not talking about forcing change or judging yourself for these past habits or beliefs. They are always there for good intention. They are always trying to keep us safe. But as we grow, they're just no longer logical, no longer make sense to hold onto them.
So if you can recognize what has organically depreciated around you in your life and consciously release it from your balance sheet, here are some examples, things that you never chose but inherited, beliefs that you inherited but never chose for yourself, and you no longer consent to. I was working with a client just this past week about her belief that she's not a good wife.
And then we realized that her definition of a good wife came from a parent who subjugated and martyred herself in order to attain the cultural association of good wife. And she was not aligned with that actually in her own value set.
You also might look for roles you've outgrown, but keep performing. Maybe that means a committee that you no longer feel invested in, the mission of. Maybe it's clinical work that no longer feels interesting or challenging to you.
maybe it's a friendship that you've outgrown and it's been really hard to actually get to the point where you can name that you've outgrown said friendship.
obligations that no longer align with your values and self concepts that feel heavy rather than hopeful.
Here are some examples. I can't take up space or ask for what I need. I need everyone to approve of my choices, or I need a specific someone to approve of my choices. My business should be further along by now. This is such a painful belief for so many entrepreneurs, especially those of us in helping professions, including coaching. I have to be the strong one for everyone.
That's a really common situation. And it's important to remember, depreciation is not a sign of failure. Nothing has gone wrong. Depreciation is normal when you are a human evolving over time. It is a natural accounting adjustment. This is a thing that served its purpose and is now ready to be released. As Marie Kondo says, thank it for the time that it did spark joy and then get rid of that shit.
So I'm excited to hear what you come up with as you look for beliefs and roles and obligations that have naturally lost value and are ready to be released from your books. Pause, take some time with that question, and then come back.
Statement four is the converse. Inverse, converse. I'll have to look that up later. It's the appreciation statement. So what has increased in value? A property in a developing neighborhood increases in value. A stock that surges increases in value. Intellectual property that gained relevance. These always require upward adjustments to reflect their current worth.
Parts of yourself have no doubt appreciated this year. Your emotional intelligence is probably higher than it was a year ago. Your resilience may be higher than it was a year ago. The mastery of your craft, whatever that is, has probably deepened this year. Check it out. See how that might be true. Are your boundaries clearer right now than they were a year ago?
Do you have a more refined sense of your values and compassion? Perhaps it's your activism. This has been a strong year for people standing up for democracy and what they believe in. If these have increased, they deserve to be recognized, recorded, and celebrated.
So I am eager to hear more. Even if there aren't any external metrics to corroborate this yet, perhaps it's a measure of authenticity. Perhaps this year, you, like me, are somewhere in your 50s, and you're showing up as more of yourself. Or another way to say it is you're all out of fucks to give.
The gap between who you are privately and publicly has narrowed and I am here to celebrate that fact with you. We are giving ourselves to the world more fully when we show up fully as ourselves. So if that has happened more for you this year, I would like for you to take a minute to recognize that and celebrate it, even if it's just closing your eyes in a small internal smile.
Perhaps you have seen your leadership expand.
your willingness to step forward, speak up, and claim space. Maybe you're more comfortable being visible and of influence, being influential.
Zoe Chance's book, Influence Is Your Superpower, is a delightful read. If that is not on your bookshelf, take this moment to jot it down. It is such a lovely resource.
So please know if this moves you, this is often the most profound part of an internal taking stock. This is where you might actually be seeing yourselves more clearly. So please take your time, do not rush. Put your hand on your heart and feel that appreciation. This is a really beautiful time to take a moment and write yourself a letter of gratitude, a thank you note.
A note of acknowledgement. You don't have to share it with anyone but yourself. If you want to be witnessed, I'm more than happy to read it. Please send it to me. But take your time and notice your appreciation because this is not something that's built into our culture. Nobody else is actually built in to do this unless you happen to have a coach or a therapist who is walking, you know, arm in arm with you and reflecting back to you how different you are than you were a year ago or two years ago.
Our fifth statement is our net worth. Again, it's that here versus there moment. It's kind of zooming in and zooming out. assets minus liabilities. In financial terms, it's a clear measure of our financial health over time. Not just what you have, but where you're trending. What is your trajectory?
in other words. So identity, confidence, self-trust, we want to measure that change with precision and honesty and without judgment. We are not comparing ourselves to others, our net worth to others. If you have ever thought about comparing your net worth to others, you probably are aware that people start with different amounts. Some people came from families with a lot of financial resources and their net worth started off high.
Some people got lucky in the real estate market early in their life and their net worth is high. Other people did not and they have had to work very hard to build a net worth. It's the same with self-concept. What were you given in terms of tools, learning opportunities and support? So no comparison to external, only comparison to your own personal path and trajectory.
So here are some seven ways to think about how you might be more valuable. First, in your own eyes, are you more valuable? Has your self-regard, self-trust, self-respect deepened? How? Do you believe in yourself more fully? Awesome. Do you trust your own judgment more consistently? And I'm especially thinking about that gut judgment, that intuition.
that somatic knowing. Are you having more access to that? Fantastic. Second, to your family. How have you shown up differently for the people closest to you? Your partner, your kids if you have them.
your friends. Friends is really the next one, but chosen family counts here too. More boundary, more authentic, more loving.
Third is to friends, what kind of friend have you become this year? Are you more available? Are you more honest? Are you more supportive? Are you more willing to share what's vulnerable?
And if not, that's okay. It's information.
How are you more valuable to your clients? And I'll say patience here too, or to the people you serve, whoever it is that you serve. How has your capacity to serve them deepened? What are you able to offer now that you couldn't a year ago?
How are you more valuable to your colleagues? How has your professional presence evolved? Do you feel like you're more collaborative, confident, or generous with your expertise?
Six, how are you more valuable to your community? Have you demonstrated more leadership, service, presence, or connection that you weren't offering before?
are you more valuable to the world? What contribution are you making that you only can make? And that reflects who you've become. This is the time to write this shit down, my friends. When you engage in self-recognition, you are engaging in an actual leadership skill.
Because if you do not see yourself as valuable, others cannot see you as valuable. If you do not document this growth, you will forget it. You will downplay it. It is our negativity bias in action. And that is a cognitive distortion we cannot give in to. Your future self needs this record.
So please sit with that.
Enjoy. And the final statement of our self-concept year-end accounting is the strategic plan, your opening balances for next year. So opening balance for next year is not arbitrary. It's calculated from all these things that came before. Your ending balance becomes your beginning balance, carrying forward the truth of what you have built and become. So.
From here, we make conscious decisions about what we carry forward. It's not setting goals. I'll tell you a secret. I freaking hate New Year's resolutions. I hate them. And I'm very resistant to goal setting. You can ask my very own coach. It's not, it doesn't feel organic enough to me many times. It feels external. And it doesn't have to, and there's plenty.
to be argued with about that, but I'm just letting you in on a little secret. Goal setting is not my favorite, but deciding what becomes your new baseline, that feels like it has juice to me. That is the foundation from which everything else can grow. engaging this inventory of strengths at their full value, what capabilities are you bringing to the beginning of this year already built up and strong?
What skills, qualities, competencies can you count on from day one? Maybe you're a super communicator. Maybe you're a super connector. Maybe you are very charismatic. Maybe you are incredibly hard worker. Maybe you're incredibly resilient and persistent. Bring those strengths in and freaking own them, my friends. They are yours and they are part of your opening balance.
Second, lessons as competencies. What painful or cringy lessons are you now carrying forward as transformed wisdom rather than wounds? Carrying wounds is not particularly valuable, but carrying wisdom is invaluable. How have you transformed struggle from strength?
Please deeply consider this. And if you are still carrying struggle that has not yet been transformed to strength, maybe talk to a coach about that. I have plenty of friends to refer you to.
Identity shifts as baseline what identity changes have become your new normal? How is that you are someone different and not someone who's trying to be?
And finally, you are deciding what stays behind.
What are you leaving on purpose in 2025?
And perhaps the most important question of all, what is now possible? Given all of this, all that you've become, all that you've let go, all that you've appreciated, all of your increased net worth, what opportunities, new challenges, worthy challenges or contributions are now available that simply weren't accessible before? This is not a list of things to accomplish. It's just what doors open.
what ceilings open.
what becomes penetrable that seemed impenetrable before. When you begin this year as the person you've become rather than the person you used to be, everything has the potential to shift. So take a moment in this sixth statement to actually write down what could be possible now.
Thank you for listening as I go through all of these aspects of self-concept accounting at the end of year. This is not a gratitude list. This is not a performance review. This is an audit of your worth, your wisdom, and your becoming. Write it down and keep it handy. And maybe do it at the end of each quarter for the year coming so that you are truly in sync with this growth going through.
Without documenting it, it's easy to forget.
it offers a pathway to integration. And the rigor of this accounting language sort of strips away the vagueness that can accompany year-end reflections. It demands specificity and honesty.
So I am going to recommend that if you weren't available to do it now, schedule a couple hours of uninterrupted, protected time in the next week.
even if it's not perfectly before January 1st, and work through each of these accounting statements without rush. Let yourself feel the weight and value of what you're recording.
consider sharing it with a trusted mentor, peer, or coach, and invite the possibility of being witnessed in your growth as well.
I hope this offers new pathways to solving for joy for you and for all the people that you impact and serve, of which I'm sure there are many.
May your next year be one of joy and ease and so much delight. Thank you for being with me today. I will talk to you soon.