I often use the end of the year to reflect on the year that has gone by. I like to reflect using a few different ways but as a guide I tend to use this from a friend’s business blog. This year I’ve done something a little different and wrote down actual things that I learnt (Like don’t shop after 9pm!) so without further adieu, here are:
Things I learnt between Naps
I can do hard things but not everything has to be hard
Sometimes you just have to rest, not rest by doing other things
A sense of urgency is really only warranted if it pertains to life or death, you’re about to miss a flight or you need to buy competitive concert tickets. Otherwise, we all just need to calm down.
Saying no a lot this year has made a great difference in my life
I am never really alone, I am just by myself.
Respecting change makes it easier for you to feel better about it
I read somewhere: never trust how you feel about your life after 9pm (This is 100% True. Also try not to shop after 9pm it’s less emotional that way!)
We are always learning. Human Design and the other things I learnt this year have made my life way better. Find things that work for you.
Self-care doesn’t just mean putting on a face mask etc. it means taking care of yourself in the ways that you need, whether its resting more, taking care of your finances, going to therapy, confronting hard truths, not beating yourself up over things that have happened, eating more vegetables, etc. etc.
Your community can be anywhere you build it - most of the support, encouragement and ideas I’ve gotten this year has come from people I’ve never met in real life. Also that said, don’t be afraid to ask for help.
The more authentic you are, the more true to yourself, the more you feel more safe and secure in yourself.
Be kind to yourself.
I can live a life of ease.
This year there was a lot of change in my life. I had three different jobs - had to change twice before the year ended, I had to move out of my place and finally live on my own and I had to deal with getting painful coughs repeatedly as a legacy of my covid.
My theme this year was “Ease”. I wanted to live a life full of ease and I originally felt, with all the changes, that this was not something that was happening - I had challenge after challenge - but someone pointed out to me that while I had to make changes, I did so with ease. I had to change jobs, but I managed to get them within the timeframes I needed - I feel very blessed and lucky because I know people who are still looking after six months. I found my apartment in two weeks because I followed a ping from someone who told me to ask my real estate if they had something for me because they were asking us to leave (I forgot who this was, if it’s you, thank you!).
I’ve had many other times where I’ve learnt to trust the universe and it has delivered with ease. That’s probably the biggest thing, learning that you can let go of all the tightly wound up control inside of you (I am a Capricorn this is a big deal) and learn to trust more, to be more safe within yourself. It’s still a work in progress but right now I can genuinely say, I’m happy where I’m at, and it’s ok to say that. And as I sit in my quiet corner of the world with my dog snoring, I am grateful for this year and everything that came with it.
I leave you with my last recommendation of the year, my favourite meditation by Sharon Salzberg. (That I may have already shared!) May we all learn to be kinder to ourselves in 2024. Thank you all for being with me this year!