Message for the New Year Transition
The New Year comes around, and as a culture, we spend so much energy thinking about what we want to do next. What do we want to change? How do we want to grow? In what ways do we want to feel differently? At the end of December, we sort of scramble to settle on a set of new resolutions for the coming year…
And there is nothing wrong with that. We love intention setting and have a #oneword activity on our social media to inspire your choice.
But before you rush on, take a moment to pause and reflect…
Take time to look back with healthful pride on the year that’s passing. At how far you have come. How much you have changed. How much you have grown. How did your year align with your #oneword from 2022? What did you do? Who did you meet?
Scroll back through your camera roll - not just your social media highlights. Not just the stuff that felt important...or big…or unique enough to post. Scroll back through ALL of your 2022 images, month by month, and savor the moments - big and small. The things you’d forgotten about. The things that seemed simple but strike an emotional cord as you look back now. The pictures you thought were too ugly to post, but with a bit of separation, you realize are actually pretty cute now. While you’re at it, you may also choose to clean out your photo storage by eliminating the junk you don’t need to save. A great end-of-year practice (just don’t let your inner task rabbit rob you of the intention of it).
Look back through your agenda / calendar / date book, mentally noting what you did and how you spent your time. You might find there were sooooo many things that happened that it feels surprising that they all occurred within the last year!
The reality is - no matter how your year unfolded, how close you got to your destination, or how many items on your to-do list you actually accomplished, you survived another 365 days of life on this earth. Each and every living cell within your body experienced each and every moment of this existence - whether or not the stories live out in your conscious mind. Thank your body for housing you, and for taking you every place you were able to go…
Some of this reflection may bring feelings of pride, joy or amazement as you look back. But the practice may also bring you disappointment, sadness or sorrow. Remember that even in the roughest of years - the ones you cannot wait to flip the page on and move on to the new chapter - the reality is, you still survived. And that’s not nothing! To move through pain and sorrow and heartache with awareness is just as worthy as moving in the direction of your dreams. In fact, it might even take an exponentially greater amount of effort. Treading water is much less gratifying than swimming towards a finish line - and that alone can make it even harder to continue on. The waves may have been crashing with no search parties in sight. You may have started to question whether you’d ever reach solid land again. But you kept going. You found a way - even if there were moments you did not think there was one. That deserves praise!
So whether you’re closing this year feeling like a goal crushing hero(ine) - or looking back feeling like all you did was survive - the truth is…YOU DID IT ! Do not ever, for one second, underestimate the value of your existence and your perseverance and your drive; whether it moved you forward or kept you afloat. Energy is energy, life is life, time is time. You are you.
A culmination of your efforts + everything that happened in 2022 has shaped you into this amazing version of yourself - the one right here. The one looking back. The one reading this. The exact version of yourself that this world needs in this very moment.
You crushed it simply by being here. Now go on - get excited about what’s to come.
Additional Subtle-Arts Practices:
LISTEN: IYA TERRA Wiser Now
We adore Iya Terra and will always share their music. As the song suggests, sit down, take a moment and reflect. You may not have “arrived” yet (not sure any of us actually do so within a lifetime), but you sure have come a long way! Check out the lyrics:
Been a while now since I’ve sat down
I’ve been traveling on till the break of day
Time to reassess the process
Lord give me the strength to face this next test
I know in the face of wickedness I’ll stand righteous
No man can curse who the lord has blessed
I walk through the valley, the shadow of death has crept in
I never thought I’d see it again
I guess it’s all a part in the art to live
The work is never done till you’re grave digging
We rise like a phoenix, burn like a flame
Fall and do it all right over again
You call into the heavens, hallowed be thy name
Everything is everything
Wiser now than I was before
Though I still have a ways to go
I can see the sun rising, open up a new horizon
Wiser now than yesterday
Winds of change are gonna blow my way
I can finally see that light of a brand new day
Seasons change and in the change they bring
Winter now calls upon the spring
New life has come to light we sing
Wave goodbye to the days of old
Warmth of sunshine to chase that cold
Flood like a river to wash my soul
I let it flow
Raise my hands up into the sky
Giving thanks for this gift of life
All my relations let out a cry
Its time we rise
Blessings rain down now in abundance
I am closer to the call of oneness
Every lesson I have taken from this materialize
BREATHE: Adapted from Shanila Sattar’s Breathe, we suggest using a “Smiling Breath” technique in order to ground yourself in feelings of accomplishment + compassion. Tapping into the science of the smile, practicing this breath can literally trick your mind into happiness. Start wherever you are. Smile with your upper and lower teeth gently touching. Feel the corners of your mouth lift. Make it broad…and cheesy. Breathe in through your closed teeth for as long as it feels comfortable. Breathe out through your closed teeth for as long as it feels comfortable. Repeat for several minutes with slow and even breaths - inhales and exhales flowing seamlessly. It shouldn’t take long to feel the happy hormones and fresh oxygen flowing throughout your body. Practice your “Smiling Breath” in the mirror to make it even more effective!
MOVE: Check out Yoga Journal’s list of 4 New Year’s Eve Yoga + Meditation Practices and take time for intentional movement at some point today.
READ: Melodie Beattie, “Honor the Ending,” December 31st entry in Journey to the Heart
”How was your trip?” a friend asked, as my trip drew to a close. I thought for a moment, then my answer came easily. “It has it’s ups and downs,” I said. “There were times I felt exhilarated and sure I was on track. Other days I felt lost. Confused. I’d fall into bed at night certain that this whole trip was a mistake and a waste. But I’d wake up in the morning, something would happen, and I’d see how I’d been guided all along.”
This journey of a year is drawing to a close. Cherish the moments, all of them, even the ups and downs. Cherish the places you’ve visited, the people you’ve seen. Say goodbye to those whose journeys have called them someplace else. Know you can always call them back by thinking loving thoughts. Know all those you love will be there for you when you need them most. Honor the lessons you’ve learned, and the people who helped you learn them. Honor the journey your soul mapped out for you. Trust all the places you’ve been. Make a scrapbook in your heart to help you remember.
Look back for a moment. Reflect in peace. Then let this year draw to a close. All parts of the journey are scared and holy. You’ve learned that by now. Take time to honor this ending — though it i’s never really the end. Go to sleep tonight. When you wake up tomorrow, a new adventure will begin.
Remember the words you were told
when this last adventure began, the
words whispered quietly to your heart:
Let the journey unfold. Let it be
magical. The way has been prepared.
People will be expecting you.
Yes, you are being led.
WRITE: Try printing out and filling in the Subtle-Arts “I DID” List.
See you next year!
S-A