my seven truths of 2021
this year has been a wild one. living in costa rica and mexico for the first half of 2021, returning for a massive season of ultra trail guiding in california and the PNW, visiting my family back in canada for a month and finishing the year off in dominica hosting my yoga retreat and nestling in the little caribbean island to close out the year.
my heart is soo full from all of these experiences. this year has been nothing short of beautiful, expansive, challenging, seasons of immense growth and a deep inner journey. while journaling earlier this week, I wrote about a few points that stood out for me this year. whether it be a new lesson or gentle reminder that took priority and greater presence this year, these were my seven truths of 2021.
your personal health and well-being is arguably one of the most important things in your life.
our health is the centre of everything. e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g. moving solely beyond the physical and diving deeper into the all-encompassing facets of emotional, mental, spiritual, and social wellbeing. when we are unwell, this seeps into all areas of our life. caring for ourselves in a holistic way, balancing all aspects of our wellbeing, should be a top priority. when we care for ourselves, we have more energy, love, and care to give out into the world. it’s not always easy, but prioritizing our health and wellbeing is one of the greatest journeys we will ever embark on.
our mindset and thoughts dictate the quality of our lives.
take note of how you speak to yourself, the mindset you start each waking day with, your willingness to stay open, and how you respond to situations. are your thoughts keeping you small, holding you back, or limiting you to some capacity? your thoughts directly impact how you navigate through the world. take the first step of becoming aware of these voices and thoughts and adjust where you need to. be honest and real with yourself. you are the person you will spend the rest of your life with. should we not make the lovely little space in our head a place to flourish with beauty, compassion, understanding, grace and true unconditional love?
reach out to the people who inspire you, you never know what could happen.
don’t be afraid to reach out to the people you look up to. this past year I sent multiple ‘cold’ emails, messages, and notes to people who inspired me beyond belief. this has led to incredible friendships, meaningful conversations, new lessons, huge professional development and work opportunities in the sustainable tourism field that would have never happened if I didn’t simply reach out and speak up.
sloooooooow down.
slowing down has allowed me to soften, to expand, and to heal. as a full-time nomad, I’ve needed to make slowing down an integral part of my journey. while I’m currently still on the go, it doesn’t mean I can’t go slow. slow mornings, daily meditation, saying no to things when I know I need to take time for myself, pranayama, journaling, daily walks, restorative yoga practices and anything else to help get out of the busy, do-do-do mindset. taking time in my day to simply sit and be still has impacted my well-being in profound ways.
trust the timing of everything.
what’s meant to be will be. drop expectations of outcomes, timelines, and all the ‘shoulds’ we or others place in our life. force nothing or hold resistance. trust that things will work out exactly how they are meant to be. continual resistance and force only create unnecessary suffering. remind yourself to surrender and trust to the unfolding of your life.
embrace the duality of life.
your life can be chalked full of immense joy and beautiful experiences, but can still feel messy and hard. welcome to the human experience. if we want to hold the big beautiful parts of life, we must also have the capacity to hold the uncomfortable ones. both the light and the dark can and will happen simultaneously. knowing this will allow you to have more empathy for others, and also open yourself up to more love and acceptance of all parts of yourself. embrace both sides and know that without difficult times, we wouldn’t be able to revel and appreciate all the goodness and light.
“doing the work”, is a lot of freaking work. but it’s worth it, so keep going.
this is a combination of all of the things for me this past year. slowing down. prioritizing my mental, emotional and spiritual health. going to therapy. consistency and commitment to my yoga and meditation practice. journaling. positive affirmations. having hard conversations. having deep and expansive conversations. taking radical responsibility for my life. dropping shame. saying yes. saying no. and ultimately, doing work that will lead to a more joy-filled, expansive and aligned life.
2021, thank you. thank you for all of the pieces you brought together to place me exactly where I am.
I hope you too, can reflect back on the year amidst the joy and the messiness, and see so much beauty and magic in your life. and I’m wishing all the goodness and light to follow you into 2022.
xo.