Bridging the Gap Between the Past and the Future
“Our voices are the primary bridge between our internal landscape and the outside world. Long before we learn to speak, we send signals out to the world through our voices. The response we receive begins forming our fundamental assumptions about who we are and how the world around us works.” -Barbara McAfee
As 2022 comes to a close, we can take stock of this year and analyze what we will carry with us as we cross the bridge to next year. Try this exercise, write out the months of the year on a sheet of paper and jot down highlights per month. Think about the following questions as you remember each month of 2022.
- How did you celebrate birthdays?
- Did you go on vacation?
- How did it feel to prepare for them?
- How did it feel while on break?
- Did your social circle change? Expand, contract?
- Who did you let in and who did you bump out?
- Why? How do you feel since making that change?
- Have your exercise and nutrition changed? How so? How do you feel about it?
- How about your financial decisions?
- How do you feel about your financial stability throughout the year?
- What would you keep doing and what would you do differently?
- Did you feel loved?
- Did you show your love?
- How was it received?
- Did you notice any major changes within your spirituality and/or practice?
- How did that impact your overall mental health?
You can add as many other topics as you’d like. Once done, take a look at what you wrote down. Do you notice any similarities in how you described each month? Did any month/season, in particular, stand out more than the rest? How come? What can you learn from it?
When we become more mindful of the subtle and also the painstakingly, obvious experiences in our life, we begin to gain clarity in connecting the dots that lead us to the next step, the next chapter of life. We begin to see that life does not happen to us, we are active participants in designing our life. We also see that many occurrences for better or for worse, happen because life happens for us, to learn, to grow, to love, to expand, to connect, and to learn some more. Looking at it in this way, I believe helps us welcome the unknown instead of running away from it or being so afraid of it. That in it itself is a major shift in mindset and when we recognize that each experience is here to teach us more about ourselves, to trust in ourselves as we take the steps to cross that bridge. Happy New Year to all.
Before you set a New Year’s Resolution, click here.