QOTD #15: How will you approach 2021?
At the end of this very long year, how are you thinking about the next?
This week’s thinking prompts: Last week, we considered what you’ll remember about 2020. For these next two weeks, consider how you will ground yourself and approach 2021. What are the mindsets and perspectives that you will try to adapt, try to hold on to, or simply, try on — and how will you keep yourself accountable? Lastly - my favorite from my Balance coaching class - what will be available to you from these new perspectives?
Note to Readers
Hello, friend. As we wind down for the year, you no doubt have your own reflection to do, so I’ll skip the essay and keep today short. (If you’re missing the essay, get your fill on IG where I’ve been doing daily reflections for December as part of my 30 Day Challenge.)
I’m a big fan of taking some time to meditate on the year and set yourself up to step into the new year on your best foot. I urge you to take some time to do this, however it’s helpful for you. Shed what’s no longer relevant from 2020, find a way to rebuild the energy you’ve spent this year doing meaningful things, and take some time to celebrate - yes, even in this terrible and strange year. Celebrate the small wins. Celebrate what made you smile, what made you proud, what you’ll take with you as you face the joys and challenges of 2021.
Here are a few thoughts I will be meditating on, and taking forward with me:
Not making a choice is a choice itself - “This was the most unpredictable year,” I reflected with K the other day. But now, I realize that in many ways, it has also been a year where prioritization was a given. I no longer actively avoided making the trade-offs that I had long been putting off. It became so clear to me what my values and priorities are: family, love, health. Spending time in nature. Spending time in connection with my loved ones. Writing more, sharing it. I’m grateful this year brought those clearly into the focus - spending time back home, moving to K, starting a new job in an industry that I’m passionate about - it was no coincidence that there was so much movement towards the latter half of the year, when I reached a state of clarity.
Life is a constant yin-yang: ES outside the restaurant, post-hug, right before our first lockdown, reminding me in all her wisdom that we can hold joy and sadness, happiness and tragedy in the same space. That to be human means holding both sides of the coin within ourselves, and accepting this about the world. I think of this almost daily - like today, being nervous about so many people in such close proximity at the grocery store and worried about many other things, and still being able to smile when I accidentally repeatedly bobble into the way of this other woman, who generously cracked up at me, and laughed her way out the store.
Show your people you love them: I have never regretted being showy about my affections, admiration, and love this year. My wish for next year is to put my whole heart into gratitude when I really mean it, and not look back and be afraid that it was “too much.” Life is too short for “too much.”
Thank you so much for being on this journey with me. It’s been such a privilege to write these letters to you, and get your warm and generous feedback in response.
Wishing you a safe, restorative, and happy new year with your loved ones - near and far - and happy reflecting!
Until next time (in 2021 :o), be well, sending you big hugs, Kerri
Photo by Jan Huber on Unsplash
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Currents is a biweekly newsletter with essays and prompts to discover your joy and live a more meaningful life through contemplation. Subscribe to get these in your inbox, so you can forward to your favorite people, and leave a comment to let me know what’s on your mind.