The air is crisp at the water, but we dressed well. Winter bites at our nose. We get a whiff of decompose.
In our pack, we brought a snack + a handful of le pens + a kraft notebook + our second favorite Manduka yoga mat.
We came to look back at the year.
To remember what worked
&
toot our horn
&
recognize the change we wish to see.
Years go by quickly these days— each trip around the sun represents a smaller percentage of our life. Three decades in, we find ourselves wrapped up in the mundane. Getting warm & eating & washing up. The days become short & the years become long. Blah blah blah. It’s so boring.
But we can make the most of it.
There are reasons, seasons, needs, & spaces available for both options.
It is okay to choose to burrow like the creatures that create the soil food web we all depend on. It is okay to blossom just for one bee.
Going deep into the darkness reveals a vast ecosystem in the underground.
But me? I'm for the birds.
I know the depth of darkness contains the ashes & the nutrients of the past.
But I choose:
✔️ bloom
I made the choice to blossom while I was sitting in the dark. “From the mason jar”. A concept I’ll talk about another day.
I resolved to bloom at a time when I was striving to reach the light through a crack in the concrete. And you can, too.
The article about setting a theme for the year from Psychology Today gives great questions to ask yourself. The Author suggests your theme could be one word, or an action, or a frame of mind. One of her questions … What old promises have you made to yourself that you can release?
“Unless someone like you
cares a whole awful lot,
nothing is going to get better. It's not.”.
Dr. Seuss.
Early in 2020, I had the pleasure of meeting a group of rebel souls creating magic for millions. The seed for my Year of Learning was planted. They "showed me the music" so to speak. Though in reality, they were more about TV. I wasn't ready to bloom. But I was inspired to move in that direction.
My takeaway feeling of that sabbatical was that I had 3-5 years to learn and then I had to make some waves in the world. To create something that didn't exist without me.
You get different vibes from a yearly theme than you get from a resolution.
For a while, I thought I could never be good at keeping resolutions. But I found a way to write them that works for me, and now. I'm a big fan of new year's resolutions.
The switch, for me, came in 2009 when a glimmer of hope taught me the most gentle resolution I'd ever heard: Try to Try.
If that's where you need to start, by all means. Try to Try. A gentle nudge floating in the background of your days allowing you to try, without demanding anything of you. It's a good one.
I was intending to take classes for funzies at the local college. They have a great horticultural program. Growing up, my mother always knew the scientific name of any plant I asked her about. The common name, and alternatives, too. That's part of what I didn't get about horticulture as a kid ... the Latin nomenclature.
I know what plants are because I've touched and looked at and smelled them a lot. But as a young kid, I did not also whip out my field pocket reference book like Momma did. My thumbs still turned green. But I like learning something from front to back via a book or course, and then inside out by doing.
I thought I was going back to class to learn some latin for the native plants around my zone, but nope! I went to "business school". Online business school. I didn't learn everything, but I learned enough to hit the gas in 2023. I wake up & hit the workday from my home office. My brain wakes up ready to write, & that's what I get to do.
Part of my company mission is to recognize the passage of time.
One way we do that is by choosing themes for the year.
Another way we keep it alive is through our paid program: Try Something New Every Month. We'll get into the program soon & touch on more of my core values in 2023.
Choosing a theme for each year going forward is within your power.
It's easy. You don't have to tell anyone, consult with anyone, or write a blog post about it. You can just do it. Here's a link to a blog post from writers.com about common themes in literature. It's a great place to start. Another great option is to discover or choose from your core values.
2023 is going down whether you come out of your shell or stay in your house for a whole other year. Let’s live to thrive another day.
Be selfish. No one else
is going to do it for you.
Your theme can be rigid, or flowy, whatever you need.
It is not about me, what I say, or what I mean.
Creating a theme for the year is all about you.
It's the perfect time to be all like "me, me, me, me!"
You can draw it or write it, sing it, or design it.
You can research it, create it, or borrow it
from a friend. Your theme could be a
crescendo, or a certain color scheme.
It's something that is up to you,
your year's not up to me.
"Identify one idea, summarized in one word or phase, as your overarching theme for 2023." Gretchen Reubin
"Try Something New Every Month", the practice behind my $7 bi-monthly motivational message, wears a cloak of implementation this year for me. And yours can wear a cloak of music or art or spontaneity. Whatever you need more of this year.
Later, we'll talk about the Jungian archetypes & what drives individuals to succeed.
+ + + + + +
You don't have to be near a pond to find success reflecting on your year. But I find water to be relaxing. As the pond reflects the trees, the place provides a space for me to look back with ease.
If accountability fits into your theme, check out my program "Try Something New Every Month." It cost $7 and the value is immense && much longer lasting than the latte you bought for the same price.
What are you working on for 2023?
Is your focus on family or business or friends?
Music, art, travel, doggo, a baby?
I want to know what you're up to.
What are you thinking of your theme for the year?
A time & place to reflect.
