A new year has arrived and with it a beautiful opportunity to reflect on the past, be mindful of the present, and to manifest what you hope to cultivate over the next twelve months. But, as I shared in my first post of the new year, transitions can be difficult and rarely do they follow a prescribed path. We are each on a different journey and periods of universal transition (like a new year) can act as a trigger with a multitude of effects. Prior to sharing a little inspiring activity for 2012, I want to begin this post with a simple mantra, “everything will be okay.” This phrase is beautiful to whisper to yourself—on both easy and difficult days. It’s also perfectly fitting for however you may be feeling in relation to this new chapter, chapter 2012.
Inspiration for 2012
When thinking about the next twelve months, I find it helpful to switch my mindset to that of my future self. I first got this idea from my friend Jess Constable who writes an annual letter to her future self (highly recommend!).
STEP ONE: I begin by asking my future self (i.e., Carolyn + 12 months from today) for one word that has had significant meaning over the past year. In 2012, my one word is confidence. Ali Edwards recently posted a roundup of “one words” chosen by others that your future self may enjoy perusing :).
STEP TWO: After choosing one word as an anchor for 2012, I brainstorm 12 actions that align with the overall sentiment of this word. I jot down one action per month and put these actions on an index card in the front of my daily journal.
STEP THREE: This year, I’m going to further explore this activity by jotting down one positive action/experience/accomplishment after each month. Then, at the end of 2012, I will have created a personal positivity treasury with a record of positive moments to reflect upon. I really think this simply activity will be tremendously powerful.
Inspiring Downloads for 2012
Inspired by the one-word concept, I created a cheerful printable file for you to download. [download pdf]
I also created a printable document to serve as a visual reminder of this new journaling activity. I plan on keeping mine pinned to my inspiration board for easy reference and updating as the year unfolds. [download pdf]
How do you keep track of positive experiences and accomplishments throughout the year? If you’ve chosen one word for 2012, I would love to know what you’ve selected!
image (everything will be okay): ello lovey
Thank you. Truly, from the bottom of my heart, Thank You. If only I could show you what you have shown me – over and over again – that if you reach out for support and kindness, you will receive it beyond your wildest imagination. We are all worthy of support and kindness, but for some reason, it takes a lot of work to really understand this kernel of truth deep within our core. I battle with this constantly, but YOU have shown me that it’s okay to struggle, it’s okay to wear (and own) our imperfections, and to fall flat on our faces – as long as we keep reaching out for support and maintaining the courage to put one foot in front of the other.
Rather than muse on and on about this topic, I’ve curated a few powerful quotes that I hope will help strengthen this attitude of gratitude.
Thank You!
February 6th, 2009 | No Comments »
Thank you so much for the wonderful comments and all of the support from new readers :). I promise to respond to each comment tomorrow/today (Friday). I am truly grateful to each person who has been reading my little snippets of life. We’re creating our own beautiful ripple effect!! I’ll be posting tomorrow!!
Happy Friday!!!
Carolyn
oops! almost forgot to add that I’ll add pics tomorrow from a recording studio — which will be hilarious since I cannot sing and never imagined standing alone on the other side of the sound proof glass recording — just me talking about the book so no singing involved :)!
Update: Below are a few pictures from the studio as promised!
Tags: Blog Love, Comments, Gratitude
Posted in: Personal