Happy 2024!
And welcome to my annual January letter where I wish you a magnificent year ahead, full of joy, adventure, growth, and of course lots of writing! Plus, I tell you a little bit about my entry into this next season of life. As usual, I am opting for intentions over resolutions because I like the simplicity and gentleness of this approach.
Over the holidays, in that lovely liminal week between Christmas and New Year’s, I worked on the Year Compass. This is a great tool for people who like to write and make lists! It walks you through an inventory of the year that has just passed and invites you to dream and plan for the year ahead. Over time, I’ve modified many of the questions to fit what resonates more with me. For instance, I’ve started a whole new category called “Best Reads,” where I list my favourite books from the year before.
The second thing I did was choose my ONE WORD for 2024. I wrote about the power of this short and sweet activity last year but if you’re new to it, here’s a bit of guidance.
The idea is to choose ONE WORD to represent your greatest intention or wish or goal for the year ahead. Give some thought to what you want more of in your life. Joy? Fun? Community? Peace? Healing? Gratitude? And then write a little bit about your wish for the year ahead and also about some ways that you can make this wish real.
For instance, if you long for more joy and fun, what activities can you plan to make this intention a reality? Are there certain playful friends you can reach out to? Are there activities you want to try? Are there groups you might want to join?
And if you want to take this one step further, set yourself up for success by creating a reminder at the beginning of every month of 2024. This will be a check-in to see how you are doing with your one word intention or wish. I would recommend blocking off 15 minutes on the first or second day of each month to reconnect with your word and set some practical goals for the month ahead. Ask yourself:
How I am doing with my ONE WORD? Has my intention become a reality? If so, how?
If not, what are some small and manageable steps I can take to MOVE TOWARD my intention? What are some practical, hands-on ways that I can LIVE my word?
This “reminder system” is something I am doing this year, so we’ll be in it together!
And lastly, I’d like to share something from Suleika Jaouad, who wrote the beautiful memoir Between Two Kingdoms: A Memoir of a Life Interrupted. She’s also featured in the recent and award-winning documentary “American Symphony.” In a note to her subscribers, she recommends an alternative to making New Year’s resolutions. Her practice is to create five lists that answer these questions:
- What are you most proud of from the last year?
- What did last year leave you yearning for?
- What is currently causing you anxiety?
- What resources, skills, and practices can you rely on in the coming year?
- What are your wildest, most harebrained ideas and dreams?
Her exercise feels just drenched in kindness to me. And we could all use a little more kindness!
I hope you find some of these ideas helpful. We’re only one week into 2024 so it’s certainly not too late to do any or all of these rituals if they resonate with you!
And as always, if you have your own New Year traditions and rituals, I would love to hear about them! How do you start your year off right? What works for you?
Wishing you happy writing and large living in 2024!
A Winter Writing Kickstart!
Interested in a short and sweet period of accountability, hard work, and powerful feedback to start 2024? I’m offering THREE months of winter writing mentoring for TWO new writers. Get in touch if this appeals to you and we can schedule a FREE 30-minute phone or video call to see if we might be a good fit!
Are you at a crossroads or going through a major transition?
My book might help you start 2024 on the right foot by looking within for the answers to life’s big questions.
Drop down into your own inner knowing and wisdom this year and create a life that is aligned with who you really are.
