Hello my dear friends,

I can hardly believe we are now in the last week of 2020. What a year it has been. There is so much that has transpired over these past 12 months, with so many challenges and suffering, but I am incredibly grateful for all of you, here in this community.

We are absolutely feeling a wide range of emotions as we start to think about letting 2020 go, and prepare our hearts for a new year in 2021, right?  With this in mind, I want to share with you how I, personally, will finish this chapter to find a sense of closure, meaning, purpose, and hope.

I really, really love to take the last week of the year to reflect and honor the time that has passed, and clear the slate for a new chapter to begin. This year, it feels especially meaningful for me to do so.

In this little ritual, I honor the good, the bad, and everything in between. I encourage you to try this, feel what resonates for you, and use this as inspiration for your own year-end ritual. I prefer to use my journal for this exercise, but feel free to approach this in whatever way feels meaningful for you.

Part One: Take an inventory of the highs. In this first section, call to mind everything and anything that went well for you this year. Ask yourself these questions:

What did I accomplish?  Where did I grow, personally?  How were my relationships? In what ways did I take care of myself and my boundaries? Sit with yourself and as you ask these questions, begin to notice what comes up for you.  It’s easy to think that this year was filled with everything wrong and in chaos, but when you take this moment of pause, you can start to notice the small moments of happiness, joy, and growth. Even though this year was incredibly difficult in many ways, when you dig a little deeper, you can find these silver linings. Notice how you feel when you recall and honor your successes.

Part Two: Remember the lessons learned. This year was filled with unexpected challenges, pivots, and collective trauma. I encourage you to honor yourself for your perseverance and resiliency in this section. Ask yourself these questions:

What did I learn from this unparalleled year? What makes me stronger? What changes will I make in the year ahead? We know that 2020 was not easy, but in difficulty lies strength and fortitude. Take heart in knowing that you will leave this year behind wiser, stronger, and with a deep will to persevere regardless of what happens in the external world.

Part Three: What do you wish to cultivate? In this section, allow yourself to tap into your desires, hopes, dreams and creativity. Ask yourself these questions:

How can I build from my successes of this past year? How will I use the lessons learned to propel me further towards my dreams? What pivots will I make as a result of all that has transpired in 2020, so that I can make 2021 more aligned, purposeful and joyful? Start feeling in to what you’d like this new year to look like, and allow yourself to experience that optimism and hope, in this very moment.

My deep desire and hope is that this little ritual will be helpful and meaningful for you. Again, with my whole heart, I want to thank you for being apart of this community during such a challenging time. When I went through my own personal year-end reflection, I really honed in on what it means to me to have such a steadfast, supportive community here. Now more than ever, it’s important to honor the spaces where you feel loved, seen, and heard, and I thank you so much for allowing me to have this space to do so. 2020 brought me to my knees in so many ways, but also showed me just how much I have to be grateful for. I look forward to seeing how we can move forward, collectively in 2021.

xo,

Michelle

Michelle Maros is Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life's Creative Director and resident writer. She has a degree in Journalism from Indiana University and is also a certified holistic health coach through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and registered yoga teacher with trainings with Anuttara Yoga Shala and Strala Yoga. Michelle has a deep desire to help people find happiness in all areas of their lives, and truly believes the Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life movement will bring lasting change to the world. Michelle splits her time between Florida and New York City and loves connecting with people from all over the world. If you'd like to contact her, she can be reached at 

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