Photo by Sixteen Miles Out on Unsplash
The year is coming to a close, take a moment to breathe that in. You did it!!
And it's that time of the year again, to reflect and journal on what has happened in the past year, and create my "New Year of Possibilities"
I used to call it my invented list to as they are real possibilities which I could commit to doing when I choose to.
If you've been with me from the start of my blogging journey, you know that I hate new year resolutions. It feels like something you attach an expectation to (which comes with a lot of stresses and to-dos) and resolution is usually a decision to do something ( and when it doesn’t get done, it made me feel ashamed and guilty)
Gabby Bernstein said something about resolutions that it feels like you’re fixing something to make it right, and it lends a low vibe to the whole exercise, and maybe that’s why I don’t really gel with resolutions because I’ve been working on non-judgement, not making anybody wrong, especially myself wrong.
What I’ve done instead was to approach every new year with purpose and intention and changing the word Resolutions to Possibilities. I started an annual ritual for myself, and it helped me realised that I have accomplished what I’ve set to do the previous year, and I have indeed made my invested list of possibilities a reality for the past 6 years.
And I want to share that ritual with you.
By doing this ritual annually, you will get to:
Unlock the transformative power of journaling
Celebrate what worked this year
Forgive yourself for the things that did not work
Find clarity on your vision for the new year
Feel excited and recharged for what’s possible
Set yourself up for a year filled with love, joy, and purpose
There are 2 parts and 4 questions:
PART 1:
Release your past year to prepare energy of the new year - Gabby Berstein
QUESTION 1:
WHAT WERE THE HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS PAST YEAR OF YOUR LIFE?
What were your wins or milestones? What were worked for you? What gave you joy?
QUESTION 2:
WHAT WERE THE HARDEST PART OF YOUR LIFE THIS PAST YEAR?
What were the lowest moment of your life? What didn’t work for you? What were you ashamed of? What are the things you want to let go?
The idea here is reflect on past 12 months, the highs and lows; to celebrate what worked, acknowledge your wins, big and small; your accomplishments, experiences, and moments that brought you joy, WHICH help you lean into gratitude for what was thriving.
At the same time, we want to also acknowledge the challenges and hard moments. and forgive ourselves for they will reveal what you needed to heal and may serve as invaluable lessons that will support and guide your future self.
TIP:
Go through your calendar, photo roll and journal for help. You can phone a husband too or a friend. :)
PART 2:
Cultivate your Vision for the New Year
QUESTION 3: List your intentions and desires for the new year!
Another way to look at this is to ask yourself what loving commitments you want to make that can support your growth, mental health, physical health, career, fertility, relationships etc? What are you excited about? What new mindsets or habits do you want to cultivate for the new year ? What are the things you want to keep doing (because they worked)? What are you hoping to achieve? What does it looks like ? What do you see happening? What changes do you seek? If anything is possible, what would you do?
This is my favourite part of my new year ritual, where I get to envision and dream big and surrender it all to the universe. By surrendering, I get to practice not getting attached to the outcome and get focused on the present moment.
TIP: Set an alarm for 10 mins, and do a "brain dump" of what you want to make happen in the new year.
When you write, just let your thoughts flow and see where they lead you. Keep writing until the alarm rings.Don't 2nd guess yourself. Embrace your vision and be unapologetic about what comes through.
(P.s> For me, I’ll do this exercise throughout the new year, so my list grows.:)
QUESTION 4: What is your word for the new year?
What do you want to feel? What values do you want to embody? What do you want to heal? What is something you want to overcome? Think of the last time, this past year, you felt truly fulfilled and as though the world was at your feet, what word was it that came up for you , that made you feel contented.)
My favourite as well, because choosing a word is a newer practice for me and it guides me to how I want to live my life and how I show up for myself and others.. It creates a sense of purpose when sometimes it feels everything else is hopeless.
TIP:
For a step by step guide on how to create your word for the year, read this blog post
Hope you enjoyed this post. In the meantime, I’m going to take my time to do these journal prompts.
I used to panic when it's Xmas time, because that's when I remember to do this but by acknowledging that it’s never to late, then this practice, this ritual becomes less of a chore and becomes more easeful.
When I first started, it used to take me 10 mins!!! AND if you only have 10 mins, you can follow the steps here - Create your New Year of Possibilities in 10 mins
But I highly recommend that take as much time as you need.
Give yourself the gift of this year end journaling ritual - so you can celebrate, reflect, let go of the past and intentional plan a vision for what matters most to you!
x
