End of the Year Rituals
If you’ve been following me for a while you know by now how much I love the holidays! Beyond the food, the parties, and the break from work, I think what I cherish the most are rituals and traditions. So many of my dearest childhood memories revolve around ceremonies marking life milestones and events in sacred church settings or at home gathered around the kitchen table.
Even now, having “grown up” and living abroad, there are things I love to do in order to get the sense that I am honoring my own personal traditions — especially activities that help mark moving through seasons of the year or of life.
Gearing up for 2024 is one such opportunity to celebrate stepping into a new chapter with a small ritual that feels right to you! Read below to check out some of my favorite ways to start the new year!
Vision board
Grab a large piece of paper, some pens and markers , scissors, glue and get creative! Rather than having a specific goal in mind, I like to page through old magazines and see what catches my eye— maybe a word, an image, or a color that speaks to me. As I arrange the clippings, I notice what things I’m drawn to, what I like, what’s important to me and what I want more of in my life.
Staring at a blank page can be intimidating but I always remind myself there is NO right way for it to look and indeed, my vision boards have varied quite a bit over the years. This is an activity I love to do with friends, and we always enjoy sharing our boards with each other after completion.
Journal
Journaling about my reflections on the previous year is one of my personal favorite ways to move into a new year with a sense of appreciation for the past and clarity about where I’m headed. I set aside around thirty minutes to sit and journal on various questions including : What were highlights of the past year? What were challenges I faced? People or things I’m grateful for? What have I learned? What word sums up this past year for me?
Try to view your answers with a sense of curiosity and compassion. They are guideposts for what you want to create more of in 2024!
You can find a more detailed description of the questions I use to guide my end of the year journal reflections in my blog from last year here.
Visualize
Don't feel like picking up a pen or pulling out the arts and crafts? Just use your mind! This past year, a coach I worked led me through a focused practice to gain a clearer vision of what I would like to see and then make happen for myself through the year. She asked me to imagine standing in front of a doorway that lead to the new year on the other side. What did I want to carry with me as I walked through the door into the new year? What did I want to let go of or put down before stepping through the doorway? How did I want to feel as I was making my way along the path on the other side?
As silly as it can seem to set aside time to visualize and allow yourself to imagine, it can be a helpful first step before making a plan of action!
Before we leave 2023 behind , I want to express my deepest gratitude to you for moving with me and being a part of our community these past twelve months ! Your support, enthusiasm and energy played a large role in building back my passion and confidence in teaching this year, and I truly can’t thank you enough! I can’t wait to dance our ways through 2024 together!
Keep Moving,
Katie
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