Photo by Sapan Patel on Unsplash
Welcome to my annual New Year ritual of journaling, celebrating, growing and embracing new beginnings as I release my highs and my lows of 2023 and declare my loving commitments for 2024.
I’m more organised this year as the one lesson I took from the previous year is that reflections of the past and the future cannot be rushed nor forced, and there is no time limit on things I want to make happen, on my desires and my dreams.
If you are thinking of doing this, and it feels overwhelming - just do this ONE journal prompt:
What loving commitments can you make for your heart, your mind, your body in 2024?
Today or take the weekend - find a quiet space, get your favourite cuppa and journal - in your phone or in your journal. I like the white noise in Starbucks in Great World City, so that has been my favourite spot to journal in the morning, with my favourite grande extra hot Hojicha Oat Latte in hand.
I know it can be hard to envision the future when you've been through so much in 2023, and even to make plans. This is not about making plans - this is about creating an energy of self love before you even start anything; a way of letting go of the past, resetting, and restoring your energy for 2024.
And then guess what? The simple act of writing them down, you are declaring and surrendering your desires to the universe.
This ritual of mine, is a pretty comprehensive 5 questions journaling process. But for me, it gives me structure. I like structure and plus, it gives me something to do.
But if you do wanna go all out - check out this blog post for the journal prompts .
2023 Highlights
(my wins, milestones, what worked, what gave me joy)
My weekly yoga for self care class
Dancing with Jaypee @ beat factory
Hanging out with sissies and nieces and nephews on Sundays
Finished my assignments and graduated from Bliss Baby Yoga and Bebomia
Started boxing @ Sugar Boxing
Started learning spanish with duolingo
Started intemittent fasting and personal training
Started listening to Dear Gabby Podcast
Joined Mandala Club
Watched a lot of Marvel movies
Education: Did reel courses with @thecontentyogi @thesocialista_ and yoga busines courses with Kelly and Gwen
Supported FSS Singapore on their National Infertility Awareness Week (NIAW) 2023
Yoga Collaborations with Lakora Yoga, FSS + Lululemon (under NIAW), IG Yoga live for @yitcm and taught in person yoga for Tinkle friend volunteers
For my IVF community: Created a 3-workshop IVF Yoga Series, a 3 day online meditation challenge, an IGS End year 21 day Journaling challenge
Fell in love with Sound Bath in Potato Head DESA SANCTUARY
Did the cleansing ritual in bali
Winter spring in Windsor, England, and Retiro Park, Madrid
Beautiful summer in Marbella
Bali THREE TIMES, + KL and HK
2023 SURRENDER LIST
(my lows, hardest moments, things I'm leaving behind, what didn't work? what I'm ashamed of)
Not being consistent with my instagram
Instagram burnout
Haven't created my online program yet
negative self-talk
Things I can't control
my infertility diagnosis
Comparing myself to others
The excruciating pain for that 1st day of the menses
negative HCG
2024 Loving Intentions
List of loving commitments/possibilities/mindsets/habits/desires for the new year and things I can do better, things that were missing in 2023, things to keep doing, things I want to make happen
Complete Gabby Bernstein's 21 day Manifesting Challenge 2024
Continue to IF like A a GIrl, and with weekly PT, Revl training, boxing, walks and dancing, and yoga
Work on balancing my hormones and reconnecting to my heart and womb space
Continue with my End Day reflections and Morning Rituals
Be kinder to myself and be the best, kindest version of myself
Mother my rebellious inner child with compassion and non-judgement and keep her safe
Inner work of letting go feelings of unworthineness
Surrender to things I can't control, and surrender some more
Do one thing that gives me joy and inner peace every day
Allow myself to Rest without guilt or judgement
remember to stop and breathe more
Weekly blog post and 3 x IG post
Create my 1st online program that will help multicyle IVF warriors thrive in their IVF journey
Work in Mandala once a week
Retire Thom
Buy our own place to live in.
My Word for 2024
I have not decided yet. The easy way out is JOYFUL and the controversial word is MOTHER.
MOTHER
MOTHERING.
Not motherhood in the literal sense but the energy of mothering of self and at this moment, mothering my inner child, the act of looking inwards rather than outwards.
I had an aha moment a few nights ago, when I couldn't sleep, where I felt myself panicking, and then I knew the words - my inner mother said - “You are safe, papa! You are safe!”
Ps. Something you don’t know about me: Papa was my nickname when young. :)
And everything became easeful. Tried it again the next night and slept with minimal phone use for 3 nights now.
Obviously I didn’t conjure this concept of mothering out of nowhere. It came about when I acknowledged that I do have childhood trauma>
I'm still working on discovering the root of that trauma and healing myself, but I have to declare this: MY INNER CHILD IS REBELLIOUS, which is not new to me. Just something I forgot about myself. LOL I used to think I was lazy, but I was rebelling against my better self instead.
There's a lot to unpack, but if this something you are interested to read about, then drop me a message, and I can share more in a future blog post.
I think I'll work on both for 2024, because I want to work on a new way of being, of how I want to show up in the world and in 2024, AND I want to be guided by JOY and inner peace.
And as for mothering (though self- parenting would be a better fit but mothering resonates with me, because of my IVF journey), it scares me a little, but I know that if it's not important, I wont have any resistance, as my favourite quote goes.
