Farewell to Twenty Twenty
Have you purchased your new 2021 planner yet? There’s something about turning to a crisp, blank page of a new year, isn’t there? The entire world, at least our personal world for the next 365 days, feels untouched.
Do you keep yours blank, inhaling the unblemished freedom, or do you fill it all out immediately, excited to get the good things written down?
Birthdays you’re excited to celebrate.
Trips you’re going to take.
Resolutions you’re really going to stick to this time around.
It’s all your space to fill as you wish!
For a brief moment, we can see all the possibilities this year can hold. We can claim our time before all the obstacles and stress of real life sets in. The mundane and hard days we know are coming, understanding this is part of the human journey. It’s where we grow, how we become.
Perhaps we learned from this past year to plan in pencil, fully aware there are obstacles on the horizon. Some lingering from years past, as we see with the unchecked systems of racism we are still combating, and new statistics that 1 in every 1,000 Americans has died from a global pandemic which is far from over.
It was a grief-filled year, friend. And I’m so damn proud we made it through.
But I want to throw in a word of caution before the clock strikes midnight: rushing to leave 2020 behind doesn’t serve anyone. We can’t shove the pain and hurt of 2020 behind, as if it didn’t happen, and expect anything to be different. We have to reconcile with what 2020 brought us.
We need to pause. To remember. To celebrate. To grieve. To set intentions.
On a national level it matters because a lot of the problems we faced were the consequences of our collective action or inaction. We need to admit our mistakes and enlighten ourselves on why they were made, so we can move forward intentionally with less selfish hearts and purpose.
On a personal level it matters because we are not tiny machines, nor should we treat ourselves that way. Our mind is the most beautiful gifts which allows us to process and have emotions. When we reflect, it gives us a moment to consider what it means to be alive, to be someone who is growing. It gives us time to be thankful for our many blessings and add more wrinkles to our brain with the lessons we’ve learned along the way.
So, what am I suggesting?
Let’s continue our healthy mindfulness habits in 2021. (If you’re like, “what mindfulness habit?,” this is easy and includes you, so keep reading!)
We’re starting with our habit of journaling. The blogs over the next several weeks will highlight lessons we learned from 2020. With free guides & resources, you and I will really ask ourselves how where we were dictates where we are heading. We’re going to trek through the weeds, but I promise we will be pulled out and in a much better, more aligned place to start yearly goal planning the first week of February! (There is NOTHING special about starting habits on the first of the year, especially if you haven’t done the pre-work!)
So, step one, if you haven’t already: sign up for the weekly newsletter to stay up to date!
If you’re really jazzing for more, might I suggest making the examen a regular rhythm in your week over the next 30 days? (You don’t have to do it every day to be a habit. Small, attainable steps, remember?) It will simply provide 5 minutes to pause, learn, forgive, and grow.
But, I really just want a schedule!
I fill my planner out immediately, too! I am with you, friend, so here’s what you can expect from Cultivate Life Coaching over the next month:
January 07: A Look at 2020 Lessons We Learned & How to Move Forward Smarter in 2021
January 14: A Look at 2020 Habits & How to Cultivate Healthy Rhythms in 2021
January 21: A Look at 2020 Passions & How to Live with Purpose in 2021
January 28: A (Kind) Look at Your 2020 Body & How to Continue to Love Her Well
At the end of the month we’ll get together for a live workshop to launch into our 2021 priorities & finally get our goals on paper!
I know if may feel like we’re really easing into this year. Well good, because we are! We don’t know what’s coming, but we can plan to approach it with openness, consideration, and intentionality.
xo, cecelia
