Well this was supposed to be a New Years post. I started it back in December. I was going to start the year off right and inspire you all to love and accept yourself. That didn’t happen. Instead we are sitting here at the end of January and now I will finally wish you a happy new year.
The way the last few years have been I find it hard to say happy new year. I feel like we have been stuck in a cycle of hope and disappointment ever since It feels like it’s still 2020 and at the same it feels like 2020 has been going on for the past 10 years. If you are feeling overwielmed and tired, kow that you are not alone. I am right here with you. The most I could muster up for new year’s is the silly graphic that said 2022 may the odds be ever in your favor.
Besides the general state of the world my health was not the best at the end off the year either. I feel a little better now. I am ready to get down to the business of talking about 2022 and how we will face it.
At the start of the year we are faced with calls to change everything about yourself and be a “better person” whatever that means. They cry new year new you. It’s all about a scarcity mindset; a sort of grass is greener self image. It focuses on what you are missing, your flaws, the things you have yet to do.
I find this mindset can lead to feelings of guilt and insufficient. You start to feel guilty about enjoying the holidays. The constant pressure to improve yourself starts to make you feel that you are not enough, like you are not worthy. I really don’t have time for it.
I want you to know that you are enough and you are worthy. You don’t have to be a new you, you don’t have to make resolutions, you don’t have to make any change except put up a new calendar if you still use physical calendars. And if you made resolutions and you’ve already given up, slipped or failed that’s ok too. You are still enough. You are still worthy.
So much of the new year new you mindset feels like a scam to prey on your insecurities. It’s like someone is selling the idea that something is missing from your life and you need to do something to fix it. The idea seems to disregard all that you have accomplished and all that you are right now. That is why back in 2018 I started the brag list.
The brag list is an anti bucket list. Instead of a list of things you have not done it is a list of things you have done. It is a call to look back, reflect and congratulate yourself on all that you have accomplished. When you list what you have accomplished you may come to realize that you have done quite a lot and you are indeed enough.
I had hoped to make the brag list an annual thing but alas I only did 2: one at the start of 2018 and another another at the end. This means I get to look back at 2019, 2020 and 2021.
2019 was a good year. I did a lot of things I wanted to do. I started working at a resort again. I worked on some menstrual awareness and advocacy campaigns and traveled to Fort Lauderdale for Barre Certification. 2019 was also hard because I learned about resort politics and unethical practices.
2020 was hard because I lost my job on Jan 3. Then the world plunged into an epidemic and life has not been the same. I tried to pivot my business to an online model, made new friends, lost old friends and so much more.
2021 feels like a blur because it felt like everything fell apart. I lost good friends, burned out and generally felt overwhelmed by life. Through all this I managed to finish and publish my yoga book for women.
I learned a lot during the past few years. I learned to give myself permission to rest, heal and be myself. I learned that I don’t have to hide who I am or water myself down for others to accept me. In my burnout and distress I found my voice again.
I am still healing and I know that I have a tough road ahead. Fibromyalgia, endometriosis and asthma kick my butt every day. Some days I don’t make it out of bed, but I rest when I need to and keep fighting. I have a lot I still want to accomplish but for now let’s celebrate some of the things I’ve managed to do in the past few years.
- I taught classes at the Bay Medical Centre a premier medical facility here in St Lucia.
- I organized and hosted a beauty and fitness brunch. My last in person event.
- I hosted a virtual kids yoga training and one of the graduates has gone on to teach at a school in the US.
- I released a book of poetry.
- I started a Patreon.
- I hosted virtual retreats.
- I launched a merch store and created merch
- I started streaming on Twitch and got monetized.
- I grew my YouTube channel and got it monetized.
- I posted meditations on insight timer app.
- I finished and published 5 minutes of Peace: Yoga for today’s woman.
These are my professional accomplishments that I am proud of in addition to a few other accomplishments in my personal life.
I hope you will join me in taking some time for reflection and celebrating past accomplishments. If you would like you can make it a daily practice and record what you did everyday. I find that reflecting and celebrating helps to keep me hopeful. Whether or not you choose to write a brag list I hope that 2022 brings you good things. Stay safe, hug your loved ones and be proud of who you are.
What are some of the things that you most proud of accomplishing these past few years?
