I have been starting to think about how to think about my annual reflection. What can I say, I’m an expert overthinker ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I’ve listed some resources further down, but first, an Instagram trend I’ve really been digging. Out for 2023 and In for 2023. I’m guilty. I’m a sucker for making a list….. but, on the real, who’s not???
Anywho here goes these two lists. I recommend making your own lists. It’s prompting my 2022 lessons blog (coming to your inbox in the upcoming weeks.)
❌ 30 Things Out for 2023
- Bottling up emotions onto the dusty shelf.
- Being agreeable and pleasing people.
- Meaningless productivity.
- Pressure to do all the things.
- Rushing.
- Defining myself by my career and what I do rather than who I am.
- Judgment of all shapes and sizes.
- Shame for feeling like I need a reason to enjoy walking barefoot to watch the sunset.
- Pushing love away.
- Music in public places especially on hikes and at the beach.
- Itching bug bites until they scar.
- Heartburn.
- Bloody noses.
- Forgetting to walk.
- A watch tan.
- Hair dye.
- Panic attacks.
- Embarrassment for my bad handwriting.
- Monotonous routines that don’t add energy to my life.
- Expecting the worst to happen.
- Cheap apples.
- Indulging in sweets more than once a day.
- Impulsive defensiveness with unwanted criticism.
- Continuing conversations that are swimming in anger.
- Being a coward rather than a leader of how I would like myself or neighbors to be treated.
- Defining my runs by numbers like my heart rate, cadence, pace or distance on my Garmin instead of how I’m feeling.
- Know-it-all lecture-esque energy while teaching. This usually stems from a lack of security that I am competent enough. I am.
- Feeling bad for saying no to booze.
- Embarrassment for needing time alone. The more time I spend with myself, the more I realize that I’m an extroverted introvert. I feel depleted if I expect myself to be around folks all the time and still be my best self.
- Embarrassment for being myself. Yes I am an overthinker. Yes I sleep with socks on when it’s cold as heck. Yes somedays I want roots and commitments while other days I couldn’t imagine my life any other way than that of a tumbleweed bopping around.
On a more positive note…
✅ 30 Things In for 2023
- Being like a tree that is strong and slowly growing with seasons to prune and seasons to bloom.
- Listening to full albums of music.
- Frequenting the movie theater, company optional and leaving movie reviews on Letterboxd.
- Using Goodreads for unfinished books.
- Live concerts.
- Completing my first Olympic distance triathlon.
- Doing something for the hell of it like making a whole pot of tea for one or learning to handstand.
- Going to New Zealand.
- Aging and embracing what comes with my path in life. The passage of time does not equate to decaying.
- Eating more protein. My body is a machine and needs nourishment.
- Spinach salads.
- Noticing surprises in my life, smiling and writing them down.
- Creating and completing a book project.
- Studying poetry.
- Bananas.
- Regular moisturization with avocado lotion.
- Giving love and hugging it in.
- Having regular therapy sessions.
- Open questions and active listening.
- Looking bad in hats and wearing them anyways to minimize squinting.
- Sharing marginalia in books with friends.
- Intentional sun soaking and conscious belly breathing in the AM.
- Maxing out my retirement account in this bearish market. Buying low is a bet worth making.
- Listening and paying attention to my body even when that means putting the training plan to the wayside.
- Accepting all feelings no matter their color or texture.
- Being silly for the sake of being silly.
- Intimate gatherings with friends to converse about life.
- Sending spontaneous handwritten notes.
- Feeling small while stargazing under the beautifully lit sky.
- Remembering that mistakes are lessons for my future self.
Originally published in ✨ Letter 139: Goodbye 2022 & Hello 2023
