Last month, I wrote a few letters to myself which I published here. The ‘Dear Self‘ idea came from Alex Elle and I’ve decided to use it for a month end review through 2024.
31 January 2024
Dear Self
A month has gone by since you decided to be clear and intentional in 2024 and I thought the last day of the month is a good day to look back and see how January went.
You adopted ‘Just Begin Every Day‘ as your theme for January. I must admit I was a slightly skeptical that you would be able to be faithful to the rituals you had promised yourself to do every day. With a trip out of town on the cards, I was certain you would come out with some excuses to skip things! 😉
I’m proud and grateful that you managed to be ‘good’ on most days. So well done, Corinne
Each day is a different one, each day brings a miracle of its own. It’s just a matter of paying attention to this miracle.
Paulo Coelho
You were open to and received many blessings in January and in turn you were a blessing to a few people this month.
As you move on to February, I want you to remember that you are strong and principle-centred. Don’t live in fear! Continue to be open to wisdom from outside, yet trust your own intuition and don’t second guess yourself!
Much love
Corinne
January Reflections
I reviewed the month in my Bullet Journal and wrote responses to the reflection questions/ suggestions in Susannah Conway’s Unravel Your Year Workbook 2024.
The Highlights
- Discovering a new way of living by being intentional and focused and yet not rigid.
- A short trip to Mumbai. It was for work, but we turned it into a mini holiday while getting stuff done
- Celebrating 17 years of marriage – it’s been an interesting and enriching journey
- Rejoining a group of bloggers and connecting with new bloggers
- Writing consistently on the blog
- Being more disciplined about going to my studio and spending the morning there
The Learnings
- Finding that I work well with a structure, not a rigid routine. It was easier to stick to my goals for each day that way.
- Trusting my intuition in a lot more.
- I must focus on doing the things I love.
Life is short and precious, and we really connot waste it doing things that we don’t love. We are creatures meant to fly free.
Beth Kempton
What made you smile?
- The stupidity of people – especially those trying so hard to control others!
- José and his take on some situations and people
- Lucky and the community dogs we feed!
- One of the strong voices of reason I listen to and the way she conveys things – Mel Robbins is funny, yet so wise! I love to watch her shorts on YouTube.
What you think about, you bring about. You’ll be amazed what happens when you start putting more time and effort into celebrating what you LOVE rather than dwelling on everything you hate.
Mel Robbins
What do I wish I had made more time for?
- Reading non-fiction
- Walking
- Writing and journaling
How can I change this – and make more time?
- I’ve been struggling to get an early start to my morning. Although, I go to be early, I end up reading and sometimes read when I wake up in the middle of the night! I’ve stopped taking my phone to the bedroom. Perhaps, it’s time to stop taking my Kindle too.
- I also need to set limits on what I can do and honour those limits.
- Focus on what really matters.
What you carry, how you travel, and the reasons why you have established those intentions determine the nature of your steps.
Mary Anne Em Radmacher
As I settle on my theme for February, I am grateful for everything good (and some not so good, sad in fact) that were a party of January. I hope you had a meaningful month too and that February treats you kind! ♥
Joining Lisa Burgess for One Word 2024 January Linkup and Marsha Ingrao for WQ #158 – Activities & Hobbies that inspire | Month end review
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Too good Corinne, can see your enthusiasm to express oozing in your writing.
The letter to self concept has helped me as well. It really works so well.
Thank you for stopping by to read and comment, Bernadette. Yes, letters to self are always a meaningful exercise.
Hi Corinne,
This post was full of good ideas and links. I signed up for the Unravel your 2024 emails. That sounded interesting. We are looking at getting another dog. We lost ours one year ago this month, and we are both missing having our little love. Your community dogs link looks inviting. 🙂 Have a wonderful week, my friend. Keep up the good writing. 🙂
Sorry about the loss of your dog. Our Pablo passed away three years ago and it’s been difficult. Thankfully we had Lucky already, although she struggled too with his loss. Not sure we’ll get another one.
I must write a separate post about community dogs – this link won’t give you much information.
I love that we’re connected. Thanks for the inspiration!
I also love Mel Robbins. She is inspiring. I hope you keep writing these letters to yourself. I will come back to read more such letters in coming months.
She is! I plan to do one a month, Balaka.
What a lovely way to reflect on the month gone by! I love watching Mel Robbins videos too. 🙂
Wish you an amazing February, Corinne.
Thanks, Vini. You too!
Taking time to reflect on our experiences, emotions, and growth is a powerful practice that allows us to deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
Yes, it’s so important to keep sane too!
Happy late anniversary. I liked your reflections post. It was well done. I liked your quotes too. I also enjoy Mel Robbins.
Thanks so much, Kirstin. Judging from the comments here, Mel seems to be quite popular.
What a comprehensive round up Corinne. I specially loved the What made me smile part. I also loved how you’ve realised that you work better with a structure rather than a fixed routine. That makes so much sense to me.
Thanks, Tulika. I think it’s important to remember what made us smile – sometimes we get too intense for our own good!
I so love that you write letters to yourself. It’s such a beautiful gift that you give to you. I also appreciate the quotes you share here from others. I’m inspired to be more intentional too!
Thank you, Lisa!