2021: Another Year In Review

When 2021 began, you could almost feel the collective exhale of the world. I know I wasn’t alone in my anticipation for the new year to be better than its predecessor. I know I’m not alone in my struggle to find some normalcy. And not this “new normal” BS some are spouting about. Nothing about what’s going on right now is ever going to feel normal. I feel like I’ve been in the midst of a constant fight-or-flight stress response for the better part of 2 years and it has definitely taken a toll. I’m exhausted. 

As we have moved further into a time where uncertainty seems to have become a way of life, it feels like there’s an edge to almost everything. When love and kindness are most needed, they are hard to find. When people should be coming together to support each other, there is so much anger, blame and separation. I have watched families and friends argue, fight, disagree. I’ve watched relationships become stressed and strained and I’ve watched them become damaged beyond repair. People just walking away because they have different beliefs. This moment in our lives will pass, but the choices we make will stay with us forever. We are free to make our own decisions, but we are not free from the consequences, good or bad, of those decisions. 

Below, you’ll find some of the things that have served me greatly over the last year. This is not all-encompassing by any means, but it’s a good start if you’re looking to make some adjustments in your own day-to-day.

• I have technology time-outs during the day. 
• My Do Not Disturb phone feature turns on at 10pm. 
• I stopped answering texts and messages so quickly. 
• I started being more thoughtful with my words and how I use them.
• I became more intentional with how I spend my time and who I spend it with.
• I move my body for at least 30 minutes every single day. No excuses.
• I began listening more than I spoke.
• I am adopting ‘quality over quantity’ as a way of living. It’s a work in progress.
• I am continuing to work on making my mind my friend.
• I let it be quiet so I can actually hear myself think.
• I stopped offering my thoughts or opinions unless they were specifically asked for.
• ‘No’ is a complete sentence. ‘No thank you’ works too, if you choose to be polite.
• I stopped accepting the “it’s just the way they are” excuse for someone’s shitty behavior.
• I started saying no to things I didn’t want to make time for instead of making excuses.
• I stopped spending time in places/with people that don’t feel good.
• I spent far too long worrying that I’m too much for some, but not enough for others. 

That last one though, it’s a doozie. It’s something I’ll continue to work on because as I grow and evolve into my next stage of being, it pops up. I’ve had a few experiences in the last part of 2021 that have really shined a light on some new areas of growth for 2022 but more on that later. What I know for sure is that I don’t need to be what or who someone else needs me to be. I am enough as I am. I just need to keep reminding myself of that.

One of the most profound things I heard this year was “Until you change your thinking, you will always recycle your experiences.” Mic. Drop. Read that line again, let it marinate. Sit with it a minute. That statement helped me find a renewed love with personal growth. The whole evolution process can be dry, tiring and lonely but we need it. You deserve to be everything you dream of being. You deserve to be exactly who you want to be. The world needs your truest, most authentic you.

That particular quote found me when I was feeling tired of the work, when it all felt stale and gross. I thought maybe it was the state of things that had me feeling a certain way, but reflecting back, what I needed was a fresh perspective. I needed to jazz up the routine, try a few new things out. I’ll keep you posted on how all that pans out. What I hope you take from all this is that you won’t be for everyone. You’re really not meant to be. I’m still figuring out that I shouldn’t want that for myself either because if I’m trying that hard to fit in, I’m going to lose the precious pieces of myself that make me who I am. We were not made to fit into all available spaces my friends. 

In 2022, I wish for you:

• To see yourself through the eyes of someone that loves you.
• To take care of yourself the way you would someone you love.
• Time and space to figure out a few new things about you.
• Adventure into something new.
• Time in nature. It heals and loves.
• To begin removing the people and things that no longer serve you.
• To stop explaining yourself. ‘No’ is a complete sentence.
• Space to flourish.
• To enjoy the things you choose to do.
• To surprise yourself.

And so much more. 2022 can be the year you continue to develop self awareness. The year you dig into figuring out what you want. The year you continue to work on being the best version of you. It can be absolutely anything you want it to be. 

As we bid adieu to this shit show of a year, may we take a moment to honor all that we are leaving behind. We cannot change the past, but we can learn from it. I hope we take all we have learned and apply it as we dance through our days. 

I can’t wait to watch you shine.