End-of-year reflections aren’t my usual style, but for some reason, 2023 inspired me to break that pattern.
As I reflect on this year, three things come to mind: pause, rest, and reset. Over the past three years, I’ve felt like I’ve been floating—just going through the motions but still moving forward.
From the outside, you would think that I was doing amazing! I would actively post on social media, hang out with friends, host events, etc. On top of this, I was stretched, yet excelling at work, taking care of and losing family members, building a new romantic relationship, leading organizations, and managing The Haute Seeker platform
Some of these things are positive and some are negative. Regardless, it can be a lot for anyone to handle. And as a person who is more accustomed to going and doing, it started to take a toll.
Taking a Break to Reflect: My Three-Month Sabbatical
You know how they say, ‘You can’t pour from an empty cup.‘ Well, I needed a refill this year. The accumulation of putting others before myself and not setting boundaries was wearing me down mentally and physically. So much so that I decided to take a pause, reset, and recharge.
This pause came in the form of a 3-month sabbatical. I took a break from my 9 to 5 and other extracurricular activities and filled my time with easy mornings, long naps, light travel, financial planning, fasting, spiritual investment, lessons in affirmation, online courses, and goal setting.
My pause, rest, and reset is something that I am truly grateful to have experienced. I’ve been intentional about a lot of things and my life, but never when it came to rest.
By taking a pause, and resting, and resetting, I feel mentally and physically better. I also feel like I understand my purpose and am motivated to embrace the calling in my life. Something I don’t think I would’ve gotten to if I hadn’t stepped away when I did.
I think my sabbatical deserves a blog post of its own, which I will certainly write when I am ready. There are so many things that I learned about the process, and taking a Leave of Absence (FMLA) in Illinois. It’s something that more people should know about, and I am happy to share my learnings.
What’s In and What’s Out for Me in 2024
As a part of my reflection, there are things that I feel are important to bring into the new year and to also leave behind.
You may have seen a similar list of ‘ins and outs’ floating around on your timeline—here are mine.
How Do You Write a Year-End Reflection?
Crafting this year-end reflection posed its challenges, but drawing inspiration from some excellent articles made the process smoother. While mine may be a bit of a hodge-podge, I believe that’s perfectly fine—it’s my reflection, after all! If you’re considering writing your year-end reflection, here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Show yourself grace
- Focus on the positive
- Practice patience
In addition to these tips, some other resources have been helpful to me this year. Check out my Amazon list for the products. I especially love the ‘Do One Thing That Centers You’ journal. It’s interactive and I love jotting down my thoughts at the end of each day.
I’m thankful for the experiences I’ve had in 2023, knowing that not everyone shared the same fortune. Anticipating the opportunities and lessons that 2024 will bring, I look forward to sharing my reflections in a similar post next year. Thank you for taking the time to read my post! Feel free to share your reflections on this year in the comments, and don’t forget to like and share!
