The lessons I learned in 2024.
2024 is ending, and most of us are trying to figure out how to make it through the holidays without looking like Santa next year or losing our sanity.
The end of the year is a good time for self-reflection, evaluating the highs and lows, giving ourselves grace for not reaching our goals, practicing forgiveness, and reconnecting with our souls, which we often neglect.
Also, the end of the year can be an opportunity to practice self-care and self-love. Right now, I’m sitting in a cute coffee shop in Sedona marveling at the stunning colors of the Red Rocks. At first, I felt guilty about a self-care trip, because money is always tight. Sadly, when your tank is empty, and your thoughts spiral down into the abyss of negativity, life will feel overwhelming. When it gets to that point, it’s time to take a break and fill your soul with things that bring you joy.
2024 was probably one of the roughest years of my life, one health challenge after another, and at times I wanted to give up.
I survived on hope and my motto “This too shall pass.”
The silver lining of any hardship or pain is that it teaches us to slow down and to practice patience and acceptance.
One of the most beautiful things that emerges from pain is that we experience more self-compassion and compassion towards others.
Here are some of the things I learned in 2024:
Don’t push too hard, surrender to the universe.
Sometimes, the universe resists when we push too hard to accomplish our goals, which causes frustration or defeat if we don’t get what we want. If we let things unfold naturally, it will happen when we least expect it.
The universe’s plan doesn’t always make sense but if we connect the dots, it will crystallize later in life.
Stop waiting to get motivated.
Waiting for motivation is often useless because it’s based on subjectivity rather than objectivity. Action is always stronger than subjectivity because it distracts us from our thoughts, which can often be self-defeating.
I love Mel Robbin’s 5-second rule. According to Mel, we should not give ourselves time to think about a task. We should count to 5 and immediately start doing whatever we’ve been avoiding.
It doesn’t always work but the more you do it the easier it becomes…..now, count to 5 and keep reading my blog 😉
The benefits of solitude.
When life becomes overwhelming, and you feel drained emotionally and mentally, solitude can be the best remedy to recharge your empty battery.
I have a ritual when I need to escape life’s stressors. I go to the bookstore (my happy place 😊) and walk around the isles waiting for a book to call my name….well, not literally call my name ; ). I picked up a book about solitude and was intrigued by the many benefits of solitude, such as:
It helps you gain clarity.
It increases your compassion towards others.
It’s a good way to connect with your soul.
It relieves stress and anxiety.
It gives you a sense of freedom.
It can spark creativity.
Start every morning by setting your intentions for the day.
When we start our day on autopilot, we often fall into the rut of doing the same thing, which results in the same outcomes.
Whatever we want to accomplish, whether going to the gym or not eating so much sugar (I’m guilty 😳), we must set clear intentions.
Intentions are like a mile marker on your journey reminding you to stay on track.
Courage is the catalyst for living our most authentic life.
Feeling “stuck” (in a job, relationship, etc.) is one of the worst feelings because you feel paralyzed by your inability to decide.
When you feel stuck making a change seems daunting because you are afraid to make the wrong decision.
The antidote to feeling stuck is courage; the courage to change even if we don’t know the outcome.
When we dare to live authentically, we will be more confident, more energized, it will be easier to change directions, and our souls will be filled with purpose.
A flexible mindset will help you overcome the most difficult challenges.
You never truly know the importance of a flexible mindset until you are confronted with a lot of mental or physical health challenges.
This year, I’ve been hit with multiple painful health problems, which totally derailed my goals, one of them was getting my yoga teacher certification. At first, I was angry at the universe and my body but after months of wallowing in self-pity I focused on the lessons I was supposed to learn.
The lesson I learned from this experience is that having a rigid mindset only leads to frustration, anger, and depression.
A flexible mindset will help you be more optimistic and discover new opportunities.
Find your passion = Find your purpose
Waking up with purpose every day is good for our mental health. It also energizes us, helps us stay positive, and makes life more meaningful.
Purpose looks different to each of us, but the common denominator is something that we are passionate about.
Let your passion guide you to find your purpose, everything else will fall into place naturally.
Never seek validation from the outside.
Unfortunately, seeking validation is part of our self-esteem and self-worth. We seek validation for being good parents, for doing a good job at work, for looking good in our skinny jeans J, etc.
When I write a new blog post I wait for positive feedback from my friends and family, hoping to inspire people or broaden their horizons. I’ve been receiving less feedback, which made me question if I should continue writing my blog. Fortunately, I have a wonderful hairstylist who told me that she also expected her clients to tell her how much they love their haircuts, but the compliments didn’t come as often as she wished for. She told me that as long as I love writing, and it makes life more meaningful, I should continue writing without seeking validation from others. Thank you, Cindy, for the great advice ❤️
I hope you will take the time to self-reflect on the good and bad things that happened in 2024. Find your lessons and wisdom and share them with the people you love.
Thank you for reading my blog. I hope 2025 will be filled with many blessings, adventures, love, joyful moments, and self-discoveries 🙂
“Year’s end is neither an ending nor a beginning but an ongoing, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us.”
(Hal Borland)
