What to be grateful for in 2021 and What to prepare for 2022
“Every crisis in my life is an integral part of my identity. I treasure them as much as I treasure the good times.”
The past two years have been the most challenging times for all of us yet I am most grateful for it, especially 2021, which has special meaning for me personally. It is not because what happened in the past was all beautiful but I am experiencing crises, like a lot! But…
“Every crisis in my life is an integral part of my identity. I treasure them as much as I treasure the good times.”
In 2021, I learned that having your own principles will help you to encounter the year of challenge. That being said, I perceived 2021 as the year of Resiliency. Being resilient is just like a Basketball Theory: The ball should be pressured downward continuously so it can bounce higher up. And resilience itself is the ability to do so. I know it is always easier said than done, but the answer on how to do it is always related to ourselves in our mind, it’s a mindset.
Two magical words that help me to be resilient are courage and gratitude. There are thousands of reasons for every single one of us to give up on our dream or plan that has been set up since years ago for this year. I am typically a person that able to project what I want to be in 5 years and have milestones on how to achieve it and when unpredictable situations happen like this it’s hard for us to accept the reality because we think that it can completely ruin all of our plans and it takes time to start over again from zero. Having courage helps us to radically accept the reality and deal with it instead, courage helps us to believe that things can be re-done again, one step at a time, we can always start over from scratch hoping for the same result or even better result. Once you have courage you will find most of the way to get where you wanna be and of course, a little bit of push from people you trust the most always adds a bit to the action of courage. In my experience, when I think I need the courage and when I couldn’t get it by myself I’ve always talked to my brother and my closest friends asking their opinions or even just being vulnerable about my feelings towards certain conditions and confusion. Each person in your life is different
and they will give different perspectives on how you see something, not to mention it boosts our courage when there’s somebody to support you regardless of which decision you finally take.
And talking about gratitude, 2021 has never been this easy without feeling grateful for every single experience that I have up until now. And voila, it’s a perfect time to rewatch what has been happened in the past one-year, List down your gratitude for your loved ones before you say it to them on this holiday season, I 100% sure it will make the most out of your 2021
Gratitude for
1. Family: They are worth expressing gratitude for. For your mom and dad, brother and sister, grandma and grandpa, aunts, uncles, etc. Let them know how much you appreciate them.
2. Relationship: Think of things to thank your partner for because having that one person who shares the same romantic feelings you do is a beautiful thing.
3. Friends: The people who picked you up on the bad days and celebrate with you on the good days
4. Your wellness: Being healthy and staying still. Be glad for all things that are still working well with your body and mind
5. Growth and perspective: Given the opportunity to experience growth in our lives, no matter what age, we can be thankful for growth and perspective that helps us to be calmer about the world we live in. It’s a privilege
And last but not least grateful for making it to the end of the day. During difficult days, I always remind myself to just make it to the end of the day. I was and still am grateful whenever I can do that.
Ray Dalio in his book “Principles” once said,
“If you can think for yourself while being open-minded in a clearhead way to find out what is best for you to do,and if you can summon up the courage to do it, you will make the most out of it”,
and I believe I always make the most out of it. Before 2021 ends, having time to fill up the YearCompass 2022 is what most likely I will do (link: click here). It is a booklet that helps you reflect on the past year and plan the next one. With a set of carefully selected questions and exercises, YearCompass helps you uncover your patterns and design a great year for yourself. The first half will help you review, learn from, and celebrate the year you’re leaving behind. The second half, on the other hand, is all about the future. You’ll be dreaming, planning, and preparing to get the most out of the new year.
Check out this activity! Write down:
THE PAST YEAR (2021)
- Going through my calendar. Go through last year’s calendar week by week. If you see an important event, family gathering, friendly get-together, or a significant project, write it down
- Sentences about my last year
- The biggest lesson I learned…
- The most important thing I did for others…
- The biggest thing I completed…
3. Question about my past year
- What are you most proud of?
- Who are the three people who influenced you the most?
- What is the best thing you have discovered about yourself?
4. The best moments: Describe the greatest and most memorable, joyful moments from last year. How did you feel? Who was there with you? What were you doing? What kind of smells, sounds, or tastes do you remember?
5. Three of my biggest accomplishments: List your three greatest accomplishments. What did you do to achieve these? Who helped you achieve these successes? How?
6. Three of my biggest challenges: List your three biggest challenges. Who or what helped you overcome these challenges? What have you learned about yourself by overcoming these challenges?
7. Forgiveness: Did anything happen during the past year that still needs to be forgiven? Deeds or words that made you feel bad? Or are you angry with yourself? Write it down here. Do yourself good by forgiving
8. Letting go: Is there anything else you need to say? Is there anything you have to let go of before you can start your next year? Draw or write, then think about it and let it all go.
9. The past year in three words: Choose three words to define your past year.
10. The book of my past year: A book or a movie was made about your past year. What title would you give it?
11. Goodbye to your last year: If there is anything else left that you would like to write down, or if there is anybody you would like to say goodbye to
THE YEAR AHEAD (2022)
1. Dare to dream big: What does the year ahead of you look like? Why will it be great? What would happen in an ideal world? Write, draw, let go of you expectations and dare to dream
2. Magical triplets for the year ahead
- I want to achieve these three things the most
- I will make my surroundings cozy with these three things
- I will pamper myself with these three things regularly
3. Sentences about my next year
- This year I will not procrastinate anymore over…
- This year, I will be bravest when…
- This year will be special for me because…
4. My words for the year ahead: Pick a word to symbolize and define the year ahead
5. Secret wish: Unleash your mind. What is your secret wish for next year?
You're done with the activity!
To live an intentional life is to be intentional. I am not a person who spends most of my time writing down and I don’t know where to start to write down all things in my mind, it’s complicated. But I believe that this activity will help me to discover more clearly what happened in the past and be more grateful for it. It helps me to manifest that next year anything is possible and living a positive year. Great things and abundance is coming your way, be prepared!
