This year has been different. I normally have a lofty list of specific goals with deadlines set out by early January each year. Things I want to work on, side projects I’m trying to achieve. I do this because I know myself, and I need to keep on track or I’ll procrastinate and forget about everything.
This year though I eased the pressure off, and just let myself be. 2019 brought a lot of changes to my life, and I just needed to simmer in each moment and process those changes. Transitions are not comfortable but I was kind and gave myself time and space: permission to not always be doing.
I felt guilty at first, but by summer last year I slowly surrendered into the unknown, the land of existing, just being, without deadlines and goals: to explore, to sit with stillness, to read, to journal, to create, to feel good and to take care. All of this slowing down and enjoying life helped me feel what I want more of in my life, what I want less of, who I want to be, and how I can keep creating a life I love.
As I reflected on what I wanted 2020 to be, what came out were daily reminders to myself of how to achieve a kind, true, happy life:
I want to live in the flow state more often than not
I want to enjoy the day-to-day, the everyday
I want to find peace with the chaos and pace of our home renovations
I want to see the retreats that I’m planning with my friend through
I want ease
I want to face challenges
I want growth, new pathways, regular daily moments of creativity
I want to know myself, and trust myself
I want to show up better for my partner
I want to regain my health, energy, and vitality
I want to build my community
To add to these I will share something that I read about how to daily carve out a life more aligned with who you are and how you want to live. You’ve probably all heard the saying “do one thing a day that scares you”. I always thought this was impossible, when most of my days are mundane and routine, I was thinking to myself “well, I’m not going to go skydiving everyday, so how can I do this”, or “this advice is not practical”. I heard an interpretation of this that made sense and resonated with me, applicable to your everyday: doing one thing a day that scares you doesn’t have to be a big event, but if you can do one thing a day that scares you for 20 seconds, you will change your life significantly over the course of a year. That 20 seconds is basically how long it might take you to make a decision: a decision that is true to you, reflective of what you really want. This can be scary, especially if you’re saying no to an invitation, and you feel like you’ll be disappointing someone. Alternately saying yes to something that makes you uncomfortable but that you’ve maybe always wanted to do can take a lot of courage, especially if it requires you to put yourself out there.
So to add to my list of 2020 daily reminders, I also want to be brave, and use those 20 seconds a day to do something that scares me, but I know will continue to help me carve out the life that I want, and shed the things that I don’t.
Wishing you a Happy New Year, and an exciting new decade full of small or big moments of courage :)
♡ S
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