A Year in Review
We've finally reached the end of what has been a chaotic 2020. This time last year, most of us were planning the lives we wanted for the year ahead, with hopes, goals and aspirations that were largely thrown off course as we moved into 2020. We can take a variety of lessons from this when it comes to approaching the new year, and today we'll be talking about what we can do to make 2021 a better than this one.
A Reflection on 2020
Before we start thinking of the future, there are four things I wanted to discuss that are essential to reflect on before we close out the year.
What has served us in 2020 - and what hasn't.
Last year, I remember reflecting on certain behaviours and attitudes I had during 2019 that didn't serve me anymore. I knew it was time to change old habits and thought about how these negative behaviours impacted my life for the worse. In the same respect, I thought about things like meditating and yoga which I had started to do more of in 2019 and knew that they served a great purpose in my life. The same realisation came with friends, and ultimately I decided to leave the friends who brought me down in 2019 while embracing the ones who had a positive impact.
The skills we used to overcome the plethora of obstacles we were faced with.
This year was hard for just about all of us (except maybe Bill Gates). Now is the time we can reflect on some of the problems and situations we faced and how we could effectively deal with them. This year posed many challenges that none of us were prepared for, and the power we found inside to deal with them is something we can learn from going forward.
Things we learnt about the world around us, and ourselves.
As mentioned above, this year hurled a lot of obstacles our way. How we dealt with them is something we can take moving forward. This year has also given the majority of us vast amounts of time alone and indoors. During the year's more introspective times, we were able to deep dive into our minds and sort certain things out. As we go into somewhat more normal times, it's important to remember these discoveries and see how they can aid us in the future.
Letting Go
During our reflection of the 2020, it's easy to become obsessed with things that bothered us throughout the year. After we reflect on the positives we want to bring into our new year with us, it's equally important to focus on letting go of negative emotions and feelings attributed to painful memories so we can bring in the new year with a fresh slate.
“My resolution this year is to use whatever happens, whether challenging or pleasant, as a way to grow”
- Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel
The Great Conjunction of 2020
On December 21st, 2020, a cosmic event called the Great Conjunction took place. It happens approximately every 20 years when Saturn (the planet of structure, systems and authority) aligns with Jupiter (planet of abundance, expansion and optimism). As the two planets are vastly different in metaphysical powers, when they collide it ushers in big changes. What makes this conjunction especially significant is that the planets have not passed this close for nearly 400 years, and it will be many years until they are this close again. What's even more interesting about this conjunction is that it's unfolding in Aquarius, an air sign. Many people believe that this will usher in the 'Age of Aquarius' which will largely impact society as a collective. The themes of this are resilience, liberation, and replacing negative systems with healthier and more positive alternatives, whatever that may be. It's also been noted that themes of control, such as surveillance and the increase of technological advancements will rise.
New Year's Resolutions - Should We Set Them?
At this time every year, the majority of us are setting new years resolutions. They can be a great way to focus on positive changes we want to make to our lifestyles and the people around us, but sometimes they can bring even more stress than they're worth. I read an interesting article by my brother-in-law Michael for The Minimalist Vegan about why he no longer sets new years resolutions. It gave me something to think about - whether I wanted to set one this year or not. Especially with how drastically different my 2020 was to how I planned for it to be - maybe setting shorter-term goals and living each day in the moment could be a better way to go.
At the end of the day, it's a new year, not a new you. Sometimes we can get caught up in our heads creating an alpha version of ourselves that we want to see ourselves become in the new year. Thoughts like this are not only rarely attainable but can also negatively impact our mental health when we don't reach them, or something in the way stops us from reaching it. I remember last year I had set a personal goal that reminded me every day on my phone. As I slowly stopped practising the goal, I found the reminder becoming a sort of daily failure notification instead.
Michael outlined the importance of writing down on paper what we want to achieve today, rather than focusing on the distant future. We can then look back at them at the end of the day, and review them the following day to see if they are the same or whether something else has taken its place. He finished off his article with a powerful sentiment that I wanted to add in here:
"…and don't forget to smell the roses along the way. After all, you don't know if tomorrow will ever come".
- Michael Ofei
As mentioned earlier about the reflection of 2020, we can make our 'resolution' an opportunity to practice things that made us happy or grateful throughout the year or try to limit the things that didn't serve us positively. It can be as simple as Deepak Chopra's new year's resolution, which is simply:
"Flow"
- Deepak Chopra
I've created a new mix to end the year with a bang! Electric Disco Heaven is available to listen to here.
I hope everyone has a fantastic new year's celebration wherever you are in the world, and take the chance to be grateful for all the things you have in your lives.
I'll be posting a mini New Year's Day meditation exercise on January 1st 2021 for those interested too.
Happy New Years,
Aleksandar
