21 Lessons Learned in 2021
I’ve been doing a lot of reflecting this last week and wanted to share some lessons and takeaways from this last year. Now I’m trying to leave COVID, politics, climate change, and some of the tougher topics out of this post since I wanted to end the year on a slightly lighter note even if I am being serious about the lessons I learned below. I hope you enjoy and after reading take some time to reflect on what your favorite moments and things you learned this year were if you haven‘t done so already.
Take the leap—even if you miss the ground is not as far away as you think it is
YOMO/FOLO exists — aka the terrible hybrid child of“the fear of missing out” when “you only live once”
Sleep is important — and fun fact 7 hrs can be as good as 8
You can do more than you think –hello first marathon ?? graduation ??
You can find friends in the most unexpected places – never did I expect to meet so many wonderful people in Montana that I’m still in contact with today
It can be hard to make or keep connections…but so worth it
& thank god for cell phones to help us do so
Lean into seasonality—life is cyclical and your body and mind are better when in tune with the changing of the seasons, the months, the moon….
Its okay to stop and breathe … while I’m not the best at this, remembering that rest days are important and actually taking time to relax is so important for your health
Say no to more things than you think you should….
…but say yes when you can — try to figure out the essentials and get rid of what excess things that are not serving you as best as you can
Books are amazing (and audiobooks do count)… I really re-discovered my goal of reading this year and while I did not succeed in my lofting reading goal of 100 books in a year (unfortunately the insane amount of articles and random book chapters I had to read for all of my classes did not count otherwise for total pages I’d probably be well past) I was reminded of how great reading is and how many options there are for all types of readers
Your ”Home” changes with time — it can even mean two or more places depending on what physical areas feel comfortable and where the people you love reside. Home for me will always be the house I grew up in with my parents and dog but this year it has become Vermont as well with all of my friends and loved ones in Burlington
If you put in the effort, you will see results.…and if you don’t, you won’t. (Yes to running a marathon, no to finally being able to do the splits….yeah I need to do more stretching)
Romanticize your life —while I don’t always agree with the current trends, I do really love the idea of romatnicinzg your life and finding joy and pleasure in seemingly mundane things
Try to take a photo or video a day — I’m still trying to get better about capturing moments on my phone but I successfully completed a year of taking a video a day and believe me some aren’t great but overall it was really enjoyable to do and now I have a years worth of pictures or videos to look back on
Have something in the morning that makes you want to get out of bed — for me, its either seeing the sunrise or drinking a good cup of coffee, and it makes it a lot easier to get the day started
Factor in creativity to your everyday — try to give yourself a few minutes of time to create or brainstorm everyday whether doodling, singing, dancing … whatever makes you happy
Journaling is great –while I did not do this everyday, journaling is a really great way of processing your thoughts and emotions. I didn’t always document my entire day, sometimes I just wrote down what was worrying me, the highs and lows of the day, or did a brain dump that was very incoherent but allowed me to write down everything that was on my mind. When I didn’t want to physically write things down I just spoke into the voicememos app on my phone for an “audio-journal” entry (which feels kinda like a therapy session, would recommend).
Make fun drinks ! This year I really discovered my love of drinks from fancy coffees (maple oatmilk lattes, lavender mochas, etc) to fun teas (homemade chai, iced matcha lates, london fogs) making kombucha and enjoying non-alcoholic sparkling beverages (sparkling apple juice, seltzers - grapefruit is the best), hard ciders, wines, beers, and alcoholic mixed drinks (especially gin and tonics, an old fashioned, strawberry daiquiris, and sangria) there are so many delicious options!
You can‘t do it all — and believe me I wish I could. If I didn’t have to sleep and if I didn’t get stuck/distracted on social media as much as I do (bad habit trying to break) I feel like I would be able to do a lot more, but at the same time I know at other points in my life I have sacrifed sleep and “chill time” and still failed so now I’m really trying to come to terms with the fact that I cannot be everything all at once.
So that’s my long, rambling list (would you expect anything else?) of lessons I learned in 2021. I would love to know yours, please comment and share down below! Here’s hoping 2022 is a much more enjoyable year.
Some fun photo memories….
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