WiNK

In the past, I have expressed the importance of reflection on every aspect of life, but specifically 2020. I should also mention the importance of setting intentions for the new year, without going overboard.

I first learned about journaling and the idea behind intention setting from a YouTuber. I saw her channel about 3 years ago and have continued watching her inspirational content. The channel is called Lavendaire. Her videos truly opened my eyes to so many different concepts about life that I would not have normally have thought of. Her videos have helped me throughout the years with self-care ideas, goal setting, and overall motivation.

One thing that I think really started me on this journey of self-discovery was her workbook. It was all her own idea, and it is designed to assist people with their dream year and planning the steps for their dream life. I used the book for two years. Each year when I got a new one, I was so excited to answer all the questions in it. I have to be honest, consistently using it only lasted until about March, especially in 2020. I am speaking from experience when I say the New Year's motivation fades after a while. I believe this is mostly inevitable. However, this year I am taking a new approach. This year I wanted to do something different. I decided not to buy her book again for this year. I know this sounds contradictory from what I just say about how it helped. This year, I have my own notebook. I am going to determine the layout and the things that are specific to me. I use this notebook for other things, so I know it won't be wasted either way. The YouTuber posted videos to go along with the journal in the style of journaling with her, rather than just watching the video. I thought about the questions she asked and which ones I thought would be helpful for me. I wanted to share some journal prompts that I did for the New Year and others that might be good for you.

1. What are my wins from 2020?

Think about the things you are proud of. What are the amazing things that you did in 2020?

2. How did I do with my 2020 goals?

My goals for 2020 were vastly different than what actually ended up being.

3. What can I do to improve?

What are the things that weren't so great?

4. Grateful moments from 2020

I created my own 2020 "rewind" by remembering and writing the fun and happy things I'm grateful for from 2020

5. What do I want 2021's theme to be?

A yearly theme is a word or phrase that represents what you want 2021 to look like.

6. What will I do to embody 2021's theme?

These are simple things that you feel would help you accomplish your theme.

7. How do I want to feel in 2021?

Happy? Motivated? Accomplished? Productive? It's up to you. Think about as many words that represent how you want to feel. I think I had about 20 words.

8. 10 things I love about myself

I feel like sometimes we forget to thank ourselves for being amazing. Writing out things that you love about yourself is not an ego boost, it's a reminder to ourselves that there are great things about us that WE should be proud of.

9. Power Mantras

These are simple statements that we can repeat on a weekly basis that can give us a confidence boost. Some of mine are, "Be True to You. I am Incredible. I am Strong."

10. Simple things I want to do in 2021

Without going crazy and trying to fit everything into one goal or a very difficult goal to achieve, I wrote down simple things that I wanted to do in 2021, such as trying to read every day, journaling more, and trying new things. I think having it written as "try to read every day" instead of "read 20 books this year" sounds so much more achievable.

At the beginning of 2020, I had about 20 books I "wanted" to read. I think I read only one of the ones I originally wanted to. Towards the end of the year, I started viewing reading as something fun and not a race to finish it or check off another book. When I did this, I ended up reading 15 books that I actually wanted to read, not ones I wrote down to check a box. I also want to mention that reading is something I wanted to do, so I made time for it. Making time for what we want to do is essential to actually doing it! With that said though, I didn't neglect other things that were equally or more important. Along with changing my mindset for my goals, I tried to learn how to balance everything as well.

I think it is also very important to remember the why of our goals. When my "why" was checking off another book, I didn't accomplish anything. When it became I just wanted to read, look at what happened. Everyone is going to have different things that they want to do and why, and that is amazing. How we each want to approach what we do is 100% up to us. It is also beneficial to share our experiences with others. As always, I hope this inspires some to rethink their New Year.