Let’s finish the year strong!
December is the new January!
Come New Year’s Day, I want to be able to hit the ground running!
These are all things I’ve often said to myself at the end of each year.
Then 2020 happened. And I’m not only talking about the pandemic. In 2020, I was diagnosed with stage II breast cancer and spent the entire year going through treatment. Cancer taught me to SLOW DOWN.
During a recent session with the women of the See Jane Write Collective, I made an effort to pass on these lessons. Through a series of journal prompts I encouraged them to pare down their overly ambitious December to-do lists and to make more room for things that spark joy or promote peace.
But as soon as we logged off Zoom I started to doubt myself. I started to wonder if I were doing the women of See Jane Write a disservice by encouraging them to take it easy. But then I logged onto Instagram and saw a post that felt like confirmation that I’d done the right thing.
Journal Prompts to Help You End the Year Peacefully
Here are the journal prompts I guided the Collective through:
How do you want to feel in December?
What from your fall bucket list will you try to complete and what can you move to next year?
If you feel guilty about moving some tasks to 2023, is there something simpler you can do this month to prepare you for completing this bigger project next year?
What will I focus on this month in support of my writing?
What will I focus on this month to promote my wellness?
What is one thing I can do in December to spark joy (or other emotions I want to feel this month)?
I challenged the women of See Jane Write to really lean into how they want the month to feel and to be willing to let go of anything on their to-do lists that would make it difficult to feel the joy or peace they want for the end of the year.
I reminded them that there’s no need to tackle some huge writing project. They can support their writing in December simply through journaling.
There’s no need to start a super intense workout regimen. Just start walking or doing something else to move your body in a way that you enjoy.
In the process of working through these prompts myself, I drastically lightened my load for December. For example, instead of trying to organize every inch of my house in the first three weeks of December, I decided to move my home organization project to 2023 and simply work on one room each month.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not giving up my goal digger ways. But I’m allowing myself to go after my goals at a slower pace so that I can prioritize self-care every step of the way.
If you need help setting your goals for 2023, join me on Sunday, December 18 at 4 p.m. CT for the #GoalDigger Workshop. Get signed up here.