I reluctantly finished my end-of-the-year journaling workbooks saying goodbye to 2024, so I thought I'd share what I've learned about myself. ☺️ (Reluctant because my hopes for 2025 are low right now.)
Over the past few years, doing these end-of-year reviews has helped me see all I have accomplished, learned, and been through in a year. We live in a society that wants us to just keep doing without a second thought. It wants us to rush and hurry and keep producing. That often just makes me feel like I haven't managed to get anything done.
Looking back on my year helps me see how far I have come and how much I have done. It gives me a sense of pride in my work on myself and how I have continued to grow each year. Knowing the progress being made when I didn't realize it also motivates me to keep going.
I highly recommend doing one or both of Susannah Conway's yearly workbooks to start your year with a good idea for the goals and vibes you want to bring with you into 2025.
Having a Word of the Year has been a helpful and supportive practice. These words help me refocus my mind, recentering myself and my goals, when I'm feeling down or lost. Sean has found a lot of inspiration with this practice as well.
My words for 2024 were:
- Courage - I spoke up more, advocated for myself, and had hard conversations. I sat with discomfort and learned I was capable of handling it all better than I expected. I had the courage to let go and to step into things I have been asking for.
- Adventure - I returned to Boston after 24 years and visited NYC for the first time. I saw old friends and made new memories with people I care about. I decided to dive into things I've always wanted to do (like writing a novel), which felt pretty adventurous too.
- Delight - I was able to live in the moment more and utilize the stuff in my head in a more creative way. I made time to enjoy nature and visit with my animal friends. I also put more time into exploring different passions and pursuits.
✨️Other lessons from the year:✨️
- I deserve to have fun, enjoy myself, and be happy.
- I've always been enough. Other people's limited capacity for me is not my personal failure.
- I've always felt out of place or like I don't belong, but this year, I realized it's because I stand out by being myself.
- I feel more alone the more I work on myself.
- I want to connect and be seen, but it usually involves me doing too much emotional labor for other people, followed by their painful rejection.
- People don't know how to interact with people who intimidate them.
- My brain needs rest, nature, trees, and animals or things go south fast.
- I'm proud of myself for always trying, for putting forth the effort, for making things happen, for doing and not just talking about it (even if it takes me a while).
- I'm proud that my skills and vision are trusted and valued.
- I'm too tired to keep meeting people where they're at when they put no effort toward meeting me where I'm at.
- I'm way closer to being who I've always wanted to be.💖
I hope you've come out of 2024 a stronger version of yourself.
May your 2025 be gentle and may you remember you are worthy!
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