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Taking Stock of the Previous Year: Honoring the Journey
I used to be a big New Year’s Resolutions person. I love the feeling of hitting the reset button and starting fresh. And while I still love that part of it, my New Year looks (and feels) quite a bit different now. After 2020 I wasn’t feeling excited or hopeful about ‘starting fresh’. I felt traumatized from COVID, giving birth to my second son in May of that year, and having to close down our studio. I didn’t make any resolutions going into 2021 as the plan was simply just to ‘get by as best as I could’. At the end of 2021 I felt myself needing to reflect and process the previous two years, before I could make space for any future planning. I came to realize how important it is to reflect on the past, and to honor the journey. This time of year may not be the right time for you to make all of your future plans or create new goals. But it can be a beautiful time for reflection. An opportunity to acknowledge, and process, the highs and lows, celebrate achievements, and learn from setbacks. Once you’ve unstuck yourself from the past you can more clearly map out the future. If you feel inspired to set intentions for the upcoming year, I think there is definitely a way to do it that doesn’t feel overwhelming or unrealistic. I mapped out eight key areas of my life that I want to prioritize and am setting intentions for each. I’m happy to share my key areas and process, so keep reading if you’d like to hear more…
I start with a little movement and short meditation, followed by journaling. I take a moment to think of three (or more) things that I’m grateful for right now. I write down the areas that I would like to set intentions for, one per page in my journal. This year mine are:
1) Love
2) Spirit
3) Movement
4) Motherhood
5) Career
6) Giving Back
7) Nourishment
8) Social
Then, I jot down intentions, which can be a few words or sentences for each area where I feel inspired to write something. If nothing comes up, I’ll leave that page blank initially. I will repeat this process a couple of times if need be and then when I have a good amount of time I map out a plan, or a path forward, in each area. I think it’s really important to have a strategy in place, even if it’s a loose one. And I’ve had more success with small, consistent intentions or goals, vs. trying to make big changes. Once I feel done-ish, I’ll create a calendar invite for myself to go back into my journal weekly and revisit, review, and maybe refresh my intentions.
This is of course a work in progress so I suggest you take what you like and make it your own. Let me know if you’re working on your intentions as well, and I’ll check in on you. We can check in on each other :) And this can start anytime of year - it does not need to happen in January!
Happy New Year, and may your intentions be fueled by the commitment to consistent, positive change, bringing you closer to a healthier, happier you.
Xx,
Tenaya
