End of Year Rituals
WRITING REFLECTION #1
This one is about writing a letter to your near-future self. What I mean by that is that you'll write to yourself that is 6 months in the future.
i. Address your letter to yourself. It can be simply "Dear (your name)", or something you refer to yourself as, or as I've started my letters "Heyyyyyy gurl hey".
ii. Start by telling your future self what's going on with you right now. If you don't have the habit of writing in a journal and rereading it, we tend to forget what is preoccupying our minds right now. You might hope that you'll forget about it in six months but I find this helpful because when it comes time to read this letter, I usually have more perspective on whatever is worrying me. This serves as a reminder that when I'm consumed by a situation or challenge, I really don't know how it'll end (and usually, it ends up OK).
ii. Now, knowing that you'll reread this letter in about six months, by then, what habits do you hope you have stopped? Write those out here.
iii. Next up, what habits do you hope you have started by then?
iv. What habits do you hope you have continued?
v. Finally, end the letter with some sort of well-wish. I might say something like "May you find wisdom given all that's going on, and are still remembering to be playful", or whatever might be appropriate.
vi. Sign the letter, seal it in an envelope and either give it to a friend to mail back to you at some point in the year (at least five months away and less than 11 months!), or you can store it someplace safe and set a reminder in your calendar to open it.
WRITING REFLECTION #2
Another favorite writing ritual of mine includes reflecting back on the seasons of the previous year. If time allows, I precede this writing exercise with a visualization meditation.
The meditation includes visualizing your 2019 in reverse chronological order and let any memories of whatever happened during the year arise naturally. You may spend 10-20 minutes doing so. Afterward, fill out the template below!
In the template, specify one to two highs and lows from each period. Also, think about the one biggest lesson you (re)learned, and contemplate on how you want to feel in the coming year.
My partner and I did it last year and loved it. We continue to plan to fill out these templates every year and re-read previous years' to be able to see how much we've grown.
You can download the template in English here et en français ici. If you don't have printer access, you can simply rewrite the prompts in your journal or on a piece of paper.
REFLECTION #3
If you could choose one word to set the direction of your 2020, what would it be?
Last year, I chose GROUND, yet I found myself flying through the air almost more than I had my feet on the ground.
I didn't know it then but my word for 2019 would come to mean that I'm setting strong foundations for the years to come, including:
- Building an unbelievably strong partnership with François
- Being able to share the practice of meditation with more and more people
- Feeling even more and more at home in myself thanks to regular psychotherapy sessions, my meditation practice, colleagues and peers who hold me accountable and surrounding myself with amazing, sensitive and loving friends.
Choose your word with intention and heart.
And may it be so.
