7 Things That Made My Life Better This Year
I’ve heard a couple of names for this week between Christmas and New Year’s. “Liminal week.” “Do nothing week.” And my personal favorite, “the t’ain’t of the year.” (Thanks for that last one, Sondra.)
They’re not exactly the most happening days of the year. Things have slooooooowed down. But that also means that it’s the perfect time to spend a few moments each day reflecting on what worked well in the past 12 months so that I can figure out what I’d like to bring forward into the coming year.
Here are 7 things that made my life better this year (and one thing that didn’t):
Getting a library card. I never realized how much I took libraries for granted until I lived in countries where they weren’t as ubiquitous as they are in the States. This year, I made it a priority to get a card so that I could check out physical books when I’m “back home” and borrow e-books to read on my Kindle when I’m not. Having a library card makes me at least 10x more likely to try a book that I’m on the fence about. And that means I’m reading more in general, especially at nighttime. A little less Netflix and a whole lot more chill.
How I’ll bring it forward: I missed my Goodreads goal for the year by a mile so I’m not going to up it. But I am going to try again.Being forced to live minimally for a few months. Let’s just say there was a small SNAFU in the shipping of our stuff between Santo Domingo and New Delhi. My family and I lived without most of our household goods for 6.5 months. And while I was pretty grumpy about the whole situation, it did teach me a few things about what I really need and what I just think I do. Now that I have my stuff again, I’ve found that I’m even more committed to only keeping things that really serve me and only buying things that I REALLY want or need.
How I’ll bring it forward: I’m mentally and emotionally guarding the door to my house when it comes to stuff.Morning Anytime Pages. I’ve dabbled on and off with the idea of morning pages since I first read about them in Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way. The idea is that you wake up first thing in the morning and free write 3 pages without editing or censoring yourself. It’s a way to get your brain moving and also to get the tumbleweeds out. But living with a preschooler in the middle of our second transatlantic move in the space of 18 months was HECTIC. I needed to give myself some grace when I couldn’t get to the pages each morning (or even each day). By giving myself the freedom to make them “anytime” pages, I found myself getting them done a lot more often.
How I’ll bring it forward: I’m definitely sticking with the anytime idea and I’m also keeping my notebook out on my desk so it’s easier to remember/grab when I have a spare moment.Time away from my family. Earlier this year, I had the chance to head to Orcas Island, WA for a 4-day writers’ retreat. I had been before and knew it would be good for my creative soul but I had no idea just how much I needed the time away. After a couple of years of pandemic parenting, it was an amazing recharge and I’m convinced I came back better than I was before.
How I’ll bring it forward: A trip like that is a once-every-few-years extravagance, so I’ll have to get creative…Getting coached. Of course a coach would say this, right? But I really do wholeheartedly believe that investing the time and money to work with other coaches helped me get through a pretty difficult year. I was able to grow professionally and personally in ways that I may not have gotten to on my own.
How I’ll bring it forward: I’ll be looking at my goals for the year shortly and figuring out where I need some help to super-charge my momentum.Spending more intentional time reflecting and visioning. Over the past few years, I’ve really gotten into the practice of taking time at the end/beginning of the year to take stock of what’s working, what’s not, and how I want to move forward. This year, I took it a step further and started lining up with the new and full moons as a way to cycle through the year with more intention. As I come to a full year of doing so, I’m finding that I’m waaaaaay more in touch with who I am, what I want, and what I have to offer.
How I’ll bring it forward: Definitely keeping up the 2x monthly habit. Not sure that I’ll add or change anything just yet.Trying some things that felt a little bit woo woo even for me. I’m a woo-woo-y sort of person and strongly believe in listening to intuition, looking for signs, etc. But this year I stepped outside of my comfort zone and decided to do a full-year group immersion that went way further into the woo than I’ve been before. I’m still not all the way through and only time will tell all the ways in which it’s changed me, but I can already say that I’ve met some of the coolest people in it and learned a hell of a lot about myself and my beliefs.
How I’ll bring it forward: To be honest, I haven’t figured this one out yet. I do know that I’m enjoying exploring a more mystical side (for lack of a better word), so I’ll be actively looking for ways to do so.
And as for that one thing that didn’t work?
It’s one that shows up every year. (Hey, I’m a work-in-progress too!)
The one thing that made my life so, so much harder this year was listening to all the “shoulds” that showed up in my head. Every time I listened to that nagging voice telling me that I should do this or should do that, I ended up feeling a tiny bit (or a lot) miserable. I continue to bring mindfulness to it and am trying to remind myself to use my own coaching tool of flipping those “shoulds” into coulds”.
Your turn: What are the things that made your life better this year? What’s the thing that didn’t? And, what will you bring forward?
If you’re struggling to find your things or are curious about other practices that might help you get more in touch with your best self, I’d love to hear from you. You can always schedule a complimentary, no obligation discovery call to see how we might work together.