The old and the new
Christmas is here and it is time for festivities. The end of the year is also a good time to reflect and look ahead. In this fourth post of our advent calendar the bloggers share some of their traditions around christmas and their thoughts on new year resolutions.
This is the fourth post in our advent calendar. Previously the bloggers have written a wish list to Santa, shared their thoughts on the joy of giving and reflected on how to be nice to yourself in challenging times.
The sky is the limit
By Oksana Goroshchuck
Last year I made a visual map of dreams and resolutions for 2023. Some of them depended on only me, like some travel destinations or goals of physical performance, but some – like finding true love, were completely out of my control…
To my surprise, I achieved half of the resolutions and some of my dreams did come true! I think it’s a great thing to do, as it helps you to keep focused on what you really want. I’ll give me some time again this winter to think about the most important things I’d like to achieve in the upcoming year. One can use Power Point or physical A4 paper to make their map, with pictures, words or even music pieces. Be creative, fearless and bold, as the only the sky is limit to your successes and happiness! Happy holidays!
Make a life map
By Meruert Sarsenova
Every year we try to make a “New Year’s resolution” (NYR) list that will help us to become healthier, better at something or learn something new (by the way, please, check out our upcoming post about KI activities and communities). The list can be quite long and after a month you may think that it is not realistic or feasible, and even give up…
What if you try to stick to only 3 things for the next year, at least in the beginning? For that, you need to think and carefully select just the ones you think you can start with. If it is too hard to select 3 goals from a long list, pick the easiest ones or maybe even throw a dice. And then, if you review your NYR every quarter or six months, you can see how far you’ve come towards achieving these 3 goals. And perhaps, you will feel like you can set other goal(s) for the next quarter/six months. Sounds good and stress/burden-free? Try it ?
But first, if you want to revise your life as it is now, maybe try making a “life map”. For that, take a paper (or any electronic device you can draw on) and imagine that the blank sheet of paper is your life. Next, think about the areas of your life: your personal life (e.g. physical and mental self-care, hobbies, sleep, food, etc.), relationships (family/friends/colleagues), study/work, and so on. Now, draw each area on the map as an island, and the size of the island should indicate how much time and effort it takes. Then, look at your life map and think about how you feel, is there anything you wanted to be different? Maybe it’s time to reflect on the first 3 goals for NYR? Take care and have a good time this holiday season!
Cheese and workout
By Natalie von der Lehr
There are a lot of traditions around christmas, especially around food. But that does not that you cannot create your own! For christmas, my sister and me visit the cheese shop and indulge in a fine selection of cheeses. We have also replaced the traditional Swedish julbord with Spanish Paella. However, it is still the cheese platter we look forward to most.
For the days between christmas and the new year we have found our own routine. We start the day with a workout at the gym or take a long walk, and then we chill. On a good day we just switch from our training outfits to chill pants (with room for cheese and other nice foods).
When the new year starts, I get my brandnew planner out (yes, I use paper) and start to fill it with upcoming birthdays and other events. 2024 will be an eventful year as my daughter will graduate from high school and most probably be off to university. Exciting!
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