My Favorite Year Yet
Now I know we still have Christmas to go (and my birthday!) but we are quickly heading into the New Year. The ending of a year always brings with it a sense of reflection. I think this is true for everyone, most definitely including me. Except as many people know, I'm always reflecting about my life and the going-ons of it. But the end of the year marks something special: we survived (this statement is best followed with a nice deep breath in, and out.)
2019 so far has been my favorite year of growth. I can confidently say that every conscious year of mine has always been a year of growth, but the work that I did this last year was significant. I don't know how many of you have ever confronted yourselves about your mental, physical, and emotional health, but being raw and downright truthful with yourself is hard. Not just hard...exhausting. I have never checked in, regrouped, or pep-talked myself so consistently until this year. This of course usually comes with unfortunate battles that have to be faced, but I'm thankful for what I've had to learn about myself.
Let's reflect on what I've learned:
1) I only get one body and it deserves my love, attention and care.
2) No one that would willingly put me in a hurtful situation belongs in my life.
3) Writing is good. And I'm good at it.
4) It's okay to trust people as long as you trust yourself first.
5) Owning my emotions is a strong personality trait. It's okay if Disney movies make me cry.
6) Letting go of shame can cause a strong sense of relief.
7) I deserve the love that I receive.
8) I am deserving.
9) I am important.
10) It is not my responsibility to save everyone around me.
Truthfully, it wasn't until I wrote this that I realized that I have figured that all out. Not that I'm 100% healthy and positive all the time, but the fact that these are even conscious thoughts is a good sign. Instead of doing a "resolution" of some sort this year, I'm just going to refer back to this list, and make sure I am keeping this all in mind. Maybe this would be a good exercise for others too, because I feel confident that I can continue making these 10 things a priority in my life. Instead of promising yourself something completely new for the year, further incorporate the good things that you learned from the year prior...maybe we'll feel a little more successful. I am so proud of who I've grown to be. I hope that you all are too, because living is hard and so are emotions, family, work, school, friendships, relationships...and everything else that you care about. Give yourself the gratitude you deserve, and dive into 2020 head on. There is so much work to be done, just like always.
2019 so far has been my favorite year of growth. I can confidently say that every conscious year of mine has always been a year of growth, but the work that I did this last year was significant. I don't know how many of you have ever confronted yourselves about your mental, physical, and emotional health, but being raw and downright truthful with yourself is hard. Not just hard...exhausting. I have never checked in, regrouped, or pep-talked myself so consistently until this year. This of course usually comes with unfortunate battles that have to be faced, but I'm thankful for what I've had to learn about myself.
Let's reflect on what I've learned:
1) I only get one body and it deserves my love, attention and care.
2) No one that would willingly put me in a hurtful situation belongs in my life.
3) Writing is good. And I'm good at it.
4) It's okay to trust people as long as you trust yourself first.
5) Owning my emotions is a strong personality trait. It's okay if Disney movies make me cry.
6) Letting go of shame can cause a strong sense of relief.
7) I deserve the love that I receive.
8) I am deserving.
9) I am important.
10) It is not my responsibility to save everyone around me.
Truthfully, it wasn't until I wrote this that I realized that I have figured that all out. Not that I'm 100% healthy and positive all the time, but the fact that these are even conscious thoughts is a good sign. Instead of doing a "resolution" of some sort this year, I'm just going to refer back to this list, and make sure I am keeping this all in mind. Maybe this would be a good exercise for others too, because I feel confident that I can continue making these 10 things a priority in my life. Instead of promising yourself something completely new for the year, further incorporate the good things that you learned from the year prior...maybe we'll feel a little more successful. I am so proud of who I've grown to be. I hope that you all are too, because living is hard and so are emotions, family, work, school, friendships, relationships...and everything else that you care about. Give yourself the gratitude you deserve, and dive into 2020 head on. There is so much work to be done, just like always.
Emma - Hooray for you. This is a very good list of things you've taken on board. It will indeed take you almost everywhere you want to go in life...and do so in a way that allows you to enjoy the journey. My favorite at the moment is #4. It really speaks to your maturation of spirit. Trust in others is something that is easy to let go of when things go off the rails, but as you wisely state, trust in others is really a sign of your trust in yourself. And you are deserving of all of your trust. Thank you for writing this and reminding all of us seekers what's important.
ReplyDeleteOne more thing, Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "By trusting your own heart, you shall gain more confidence in other men." You walk with the masters.
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