2023 was a memorable, life-changing year.
Many of my friends, coworkers and acquaintances had a tumultuous, stressful year that has led them to change, grow or see things in a different light. The good news was it led to much growth, including these life lessons from 2023.
In the dance of life, change is the only constant. Embrace the light that illuminates your path through the shadows of pain, for within each challenge lies the seed of growth.
Mindful Modern Life
If you’re anything like me, you’re ready for a fresh start and are feeling the hope for where your life is moving.
This past year has been heavy for me, with many endings and stress. Between ending a toxic relationship, to changing jobs and moving between 4 places in 6 months, things were chaotic to say the least.
Life is a 50/50 Balance
I was recently in a writing workshop where it was mentioned that the human experience is mostly 50% grief and 50% joy. Well, using that logic, I am predicting this year will be 80% joy to balance out last year 😉
As I look back, I reflect on the lessons I learned from this year, areas for which I’m very grateful, and see a clear path forward in different areas as well.
In numerology, 2024 brings the power of 8, (2+2+4) On this Today article, they state it’s a year to focus on building, doing and creating, while unlocking your personal power.
8 Life Lessons for 2024
In honor of this, here are 8 lessons I’ve learned in 2023 that I’m bringing into the new year to help build upon:
- 1: Life is unpredictable, and there will always be changes. Choose to create your reality with what you can control, and learn to accept or forget the rest. The reality is things will hardly ever go the way we plan for or hope. Part of this makes life exciting and unpredictable. Instead of getting hung up on things not aligning with expectations, I’m now choosing to see that while the initial change may not feel great, things are usually leading to a better aligned, more authentic or different path we were intended to experience.
- 2: You don’t need to get close or love everyone. People will show you their true colors over time, and your worth is not dependent on how they chose to treat you. Their character is simply that, their character. Let go of trying to change or accept bad behavior, make excuses or ignoring what they’re showing you that’s reality. Surround yourself with a tribe that is aligned, kind, inclusive and respects you. Walk away from anything else and see how your world and spirit changes.
- 3: Words are easy, action is hard. Choose to surround yourself with people whose words and actions align. For many of us, it comes naturally to follow through with actions that aligns with the words and promises we speak. The reality is that is not the case for everyone, and we must keep our glasses on to reality in seeing consistent alignment.
- 4: Take Care of Yourself, Always. My old boss demonstrated compassion and support by sharing this phrase with me when I was going through a tough time. This has taken on new meaning for me over the years, sometimes focused on physical health, taking time for myself, prioritizing self-care or even helping me in making big decisions. It’s easy to prioritize acting on what others think, or what society or our culture has us thinking is ‘normal’, ‘right’ or ‘best’. When we come back to ourselves and use our North Star to guide us, we can get clear on how we need to tend or honor ourselves in different ways.
- 5: Always bet on yourself. Thoughts+ actions= reality. When you have a vision, put all your energy and spirit into it. If there’s a seed, plant it to make it bigger, take action to water it, and see what grows. It will take time and energy, but make it bigger than what you have originally thought and shoot for the stars.
- 6: Be there to listen. This year has shown me how special it is to have people in your life to be authentic, check in on eachother, and lend an ear or hand. I’m lucky enough to have an incredible mentor who showed me consistent care and support by listening to me, guiding me and supporting me consistently over the course of a year. Without asking, he jumped in and offered to set up weekly calls to check in, and support me as I navigated finding a new job. He offered his time with mock interviews, sending relevant job postings and articles, and sharing how he experienced something similar made me feel much less alone. This has inspired me in so many ways to take initiative in offering to help others, and showing support for people going through a tough time.
- 7: Take proactive efforts to stay grounded. With so many things beyond our control, the areas we can impact take on a bigger meaning.
- Mindset- how we speak to ourselves, what music we listen to
- Physically- can we do more yoga postures of grounding down,
- Grounding or forest bathing- spending time for a walk in nature, or barefoot in the park can do wonders to reset our nervous system
- Diet- can we eat fresh, seasonal, local foods that make us feel connected to the eart
- Meditation- resetting our overreactive minds, and experiencing calm momentarily can set the tone for the day, or help navigate stress and come back to a more still, peaceful place
- 8: The way we speak to ourselves matters. This year revealed how much I was allowing my inner critic run wild with fear. By first recognizing the thoughts, then practicing self-compassion for those coming from a place of trying to protect me, to then learning to let the thoughts pass, and finally challenging and replacing the thoughts with something I’d like to feel or think instead, has allowed me to embody a new way of thinking that is more aligned with a vibrant life I’d like to live. While affirmations may not be for everyone, they can serve as training wheels for our mind in thinking more positive thoughts. Life hack: search YouTube for affirmations for an area of life where you need support, such as ‘affirmations for healing/friendship/stress/creating/positive energy/etc’ Listening to these can help us come back to a neutral, or even positive mindset.
2024 Here We Come
As we look forward into the new year, I’m also really enjoying reflecting on the beauty that came about with the growth from a really tough 2023. It feels like I’ve never been better prepared for a new year after I learned so much about myself last year and have settled into my new, more realistic, mindful, positive and empowered way of thinking.
What have you learned from the past year?
Wishing you all a happy, healthy and successful 2024! I hope this year is more than 50% joyful for you, but if not, we can always celebrate the lessons we learn from the hard times.
May this year be the best year yet!
May you find your voice, and be heard,
Mindful Modern Life
May you open your heart, and feel love,
May your mind be clear, and full of beautiful thoughts.
