What Worked in 2021?

This year I saw similar methods of reflection from two trusted women. I’ve learned quite a bit from these two over the last year:

 

Emily P Freeman’s podcast The Next Right Thing and Lara Casey’s Cultivate What Matters Power Sheets – a goal-setting planner numerous business friends have recommended. 

 

Both of these sources popped up with this method of reflection around the same time in late December. So I thought why not? I’ll give it a try. 

 

If you’re needing some grounding, some guided reflection, some simple celebrations, or some plain old getting unstuck, try this….

 

Make a list of what worked in 2021

If you’re brave enough, make a list of what did not work in 2021. 

See what you learn about yourself?

Here’s my attempt at celebrating small things & taking big leaps to get unstuck with a simple method of reflection. I want to hear your lists, but I’ll go first…

 

1. Buying a robe 

 

It’s so simple it’s silly! My friend, Kelsey always raves about her robe. I have never understood why, until this past year. 35 years of life and for as long as I can remember I have always laughed at people with robes. I thought a robe utterly unnecessary. Now, I do not know how I lived without one my entire life. Welcome to adulthood. Here’s a robe!

 

It makes my mornings & evenings so luxurious as I linger longer. I take my time getting ready, doing my daily skincare routine – also on my top ten list – curling up with a cup of tea and a good book. I’m unrushed when I slip this soft comfort on. It signals to my brain that life is good, slow down, and enjoy it.

 

If you’re in the market for a good robe you can check out the one I love here – no added perks for me. I’m sharing only because I adore it and I want you to have the love of a robe too!

 

P.S. If you’re in the market for a good skincare routine email me, or dm me. I’ll help you fall in love with a skincare routine tailored just for you too!

 

2. Downsizing

 

Not as simple at first but oh so simple now. I have much less of everything after I sold my house and moved into a one-bedroom apartment this past year. I quickly realized I live more fully with less. That feels so freeing! 

 

I stopped spinning my energy wondering how to fill a house or energy cleaning spaces in that house I never used. Now I use every square inch to its fullest in my little corner of the world. I have extra energy to do things that actually fill me up.

 

3. Going Solo

 

On a simple level, I chose to go solo with my workouts at home. I switched from gym memberships or yoga studios – which I loved and do miss – to an online yoga membership that offers me five classes a week with a curated class selection. 

 

Why did this work for me when I’ve loved sweating my buns off at the local yoga studio for so many years? More factors than I realized came into play…

• Changing work schedule 
• Odd hours
• Moving geographically in the city
• More access to outdoor paths had me running more
• The ups & downs of COVID to consider

 

More than anything, I realized how much I love the practice of yoga for me. Somehow I rediscovered a part of myself on the mat in my little yoga corner overlooking the new view from my apartment windows. Solo. Just me and my breath.

 

On a bigger level, I took a leap of faith this year and traveled solo for the first time! It’s been a desire of mine but I’ve always feared it in some ways. I listened to my gut back in November that kept saying, “Go to the ocean. I’ll meet you there.”

 

I booked a direct flight. One of the very few I could find at a lower price. I risked the possible COVID shutdowns and booked it anyway. I found a place right on the beach. There’s nowhere else I wanted to be. I craved the sound of the ocean. 

 

The thing is, I feel like God met me there in some of the simplest ways. Quiet time to read and journal in the sunshine. Daily sunrises and sunsets. Miles of sand to run and clear my head. He also met me there in the locals, the friendly conversations, the family from Canada that somehow took me in for afternoon drinks by the beach. The mother-daughter duo from OKC cheered me on for traveling solo as they flashed their bright red-lipsticked smiles from a distance. 

 

More than anything, I realized how much I enjoyed the spontaneity of it all, the small connections that somehow last. 

 

Yes, these are the things of 2021 that worked for me. How will I bring these rhythms with me to 2022?

 

If you’re curious about what did NOT work for me, stay tuned. I’ll be sharing some of my list on my upcoming podcast episode.

 

SUBSCRIBE to the podcast Learning to Live Again with Brooke Noelle on your favorite app. You’ll be notified when I’m brave enough to release the episode all about what did NOT work in 2021.

 

In the meantime, take a minute and make your list. Email me or comment on IG or FB to share one of the things that worked for you.

I’d love to hear what you’re learning as you live again!