In 2024, May We Be Open...
Reflections & Journal Questions for the New Year
As we stand on the threshold of 2024, my hope for us all is to step into the New Year with a profound commitment to open our hearts, minds, and spirits to the possibility and power of inner peace. This year has felt tough for many of us for many reasons—and I also think 2023 showed us what love, hope, and community care can look like.
In a world often marked by division, uncertainty, and turmoil, it is easy to become entangled in the web of negativity and cynicism. But my hope for us this season is to remember the beauty a New Year can bring and the beauty it can deepen in our lives today. May we be open enough to lean into 2024 with encouragement in our souls and faith in the truth that we can find ease and growth wherever we are.
Personally, the year ahead is asking me to find harmony and understanding even when it feels hard to.
This past year taught me a lot about how opening my heart means embracing empathy and compassion for all, including myself. Healing for me in 2023 has meant offering kindness even in the face of adversity and extending grace to others even in instances when it's so much easier not to.
Opening our minds requires us to break free from the constraints of rigid thinking.
My word for 2024 is spacious. Thinking about that word has invited me to be open to new ideas, to create space in my life for different perspectives, more peace and clarity, and the wisdom my body innately carries.
This year, I learned that nurturing a spirit of peace and openness means making room for ourselves, no matter how loud the world can be. It means taking up space without shame or guilt in tow. Many of us were taught that staying small is the safest thing to do to keep the peace. But I hope in 2024, we start to release that idea that being loved, seen, and heard requires us to be a fraction of ourselves in a world that demands so much from us.
May 2024 give us the courage to trust ourselves enough to show up more authentically, even if that means we must walk alone for a little while.
May 2024 allow us to consciously choose to let go of what's holding us up, down, or back and replace all that doesn't align with acceptance and courage to shine.
May 2024 grant us a more easeful spirit.
May 2024 encourage us to be more open and willing.
Journal Questions to Reflect On:
Seen:
What situations or interactions make you feel truly seen and understood by others?
How do you express your authentic self when you feel seen?
Are there any specific people in your life who consistently make you feel seen? Why?
Heard:
When do you feel like others genuinely hear and value you?
How do you communicate your needs and desires to ensure you are heard?
Reflect on a recent time when you felt truly heard. What made that experience special?
Loved:
What actions or gestures make you feel loved and cherished by those close to you?
How do you express love to others, and does it align with how you like to receive love?
Describe a moment when you felt deeply loved. What contributed to that feeling?
Aligned:
When do you feel most aligned with your values, beliefs, and goals?
What daily practices or routines help you stay aligned with your true self?
How does being in alignment affect your overall sense of well-being?
Spacious:
What environments or activities create a sense of spaciousness and mental clarity for you?
How do you make time for mental and emotional spaciousness in your daily life?
Reflect on a time when you felt completely at ease and spacious. What contributed to that feeling?
Joyful:
What activities, hobbies, or experiences consistently bring you joy and happiness?
How do you share your joy with others and spread positivity?
Describe a recent joyful moment and what made it so special.
Open:
When are you most open to new ideas, experiences, and perspectives?
How do you handle moments of feeling closed off or resistant to change?
Think about a time when you were open-minded and receptive to new possibilities. What was the outcome?
For folks wanting to start 2024 in an intentional way, join me on Insight Timer for an amazing series they're launching called Reset & Refresh, a 28-day program intended to renew your motivation and help you achieve more clarity in 2024.
Over 4 weeks, this challenge is a call to break free from the ordinary, to let go of what's been holding you back, and to step into the new year with a fresh perspective. Dive in with me, Sarah Blondin, Stuart Sandeman, and Justin Michael Williams. Each of us will hone in on nurturing a different aspect of you and your life.
My word of the year is Expand
This year has taught me thr importance of caring for my spirit. I am a classroom teacher and a natural empath. I have set aside one day a week where I stop to get a foot massage and reflexology. It calms me after a crazy day. This first 4 mouths of teaching has had increased demands so I needed to set aside some Saturdays as caring for my spirit day. I programmed it on my calendar and refused to schedule events over it. It's a day when I unplug, take a walk, a long bath, write in my journal, paint, or watch nonsense TV. I love making a warm Jamaican soup that reminds me of my granny. The world is moving fast but I don't have to join the marathon. I can pull over and slowly take the service lane. I'll still get to my destination.