By: Antoneta Bursac
What a year. Plans, travel schedules, 2020 planners went out the window.
I’m the kind of person who really enjoys looking back on the intentions I set at the start of each year, and more often than not reflect on how much my viewpoint changed, excelled and developed throughout the year.
So this year it was no surprise that 90% of what I thought were priorities with my career, social life and relationships seemed a bit irrelevant.
Wrapping up a major life cycle and starting a new one always carries some weight. I wanted to share what has shifted and become a priority in my life in the hopes that it inspires you to be more honest with yourselves and live more purposefully too.
- Stop planning too far ahead
2020 has taught me that major changes can happen in the space of days and weeks, not months or years. I believe it was Tony Robbins that said most people overestimate what they can accomplish in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in a decade.
I’m putting less pressure on my years and instead moving forward with intent, focusing on the bigger picture, which will hopefully take the stress and time limit off of any goals I set for myself.
- Try again, there is no time limit
Following on from point 1, when you take away the pressure of achieving everything you want in a single year, you take away the pressure of failure to a certain extent.
There is no time limit on your goals. Failing once or 10 times doesn’t mean you have to let go if there is something you truly want and are passionate about.
Life is long, the calendar year isn’t that meaningful when looking at the bigger picture, and checking in on yourself throughout the year more often might help you stay on track to achieve what you really want, instead of staying committed to a goal you had when you might have had completely different priorities.
- Approach negativity with neutrality
A big lesson for me this year.
Whenever something bad happened this year I forced myself to step back and look at it as a neutral event. My reaction to it determines if it is a lesson, a devastation, a failure or a success. It is hard at first but treating negatives as neutrals has lowered my blood pressure and stress levels.
- Learn to sit with your mind and be alone
In other words – meditate. I always found meditation intimidating, but it is such a useful practice in my life after this year.
When around family and other people (vs when I am at home alone) I go for a 40 minute walk to just be alone with my mind and actively work on focusing on myself and being present and calm. When alone I sit for 30-40 minutes, which is how long it takes me to really get into it. Try a guided meditation on youtube/podcast if you are a beginner.
- Move your body
Your body, mind, skin cannot be compartmentalized. Everything is connected. Exercise will give all of the above strength, resilience and health.
- Focus on the good
If the news stresses you out, turn it off. Filter what you consume, when you consume it and how. The same goes for the people you surround yourself with. As a society and culture we have never had access to so much knowledge, information and opportunities – use them to your advantage and benefit yourself first.
- Try New Things
The one thing I stuck to on my resolution list this year was reading books I would normally not be interested in.
It opened my life up to new perspectives and information I never thought I would gel with in the past. Topics I found frivolous and irritating turned out to be interesting and have way more substance than I thought possible.
It has enabled me to keep an open mind. Take a dance class, try acupuncture, Reiki, breath work, research old trends, Chinese medicine, history, philosophy, don’t be scared to broaden your horizons, strengthen your mind, ask bigger questions and take up more space.
- Think about Death
Life is short, and this made me less afraid to live it like I want. It is not comfortable, but we all face the exact same destiny.
If you struggle with gratitude and perspective, think about your own existence and how much meaning you can create in the time that you have.
