Doing the things you want to do 🌱
on reducing the space between where you are and where you want to be.
Hi!
If I had to describe 2021 with different words, I would say, in no particular order—growth, love, friendship, vulnerability, anxiety, joy, healing, yearning, gratitude, showing up, dreams, intense, boundaries, perseverance, revisiting, releasing, cognitive dissonance, passion, and consistency.
📝 What words would you use to describe your year?
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the space between where I am and where I want to be, after recently coming out of a bit of a quarter-life crisis—examining what I want the next few years of my life to look like. I had these realizations in the area of things I’ve been wanting to do, things I wish I could do, and ways of living that I aspire to.
In conversations with others, I described it as a nagging feeling that I had the potential to be doing more for myself. Having gone through different processes mostly in therapy, a lot of self-reflection and soul-searching, to try to uncover the root of that feeling, some of the impactful questions that were presented to me as I started gaining more clarity were—“What’s stopping you from starting now? What are you doing today to get you closer to where you want to be?”—which seem like simple questions, but after being so deep in the crisis, I wasn’t actually being so intentional about where I was spending my energy in the present, because I had been so focused on the past and the future.
I think this is a principle that most of us are aware of—the compound effect.
📝 What are the things you’ve been wanting to do? What’s stopping you from doing them?
This year, I’ve also been continually reminded through the people I’ve encountered that it’s never too late to start something new, and most times we just need to get past the anxiety, shame, fear of going to start a new thing.
In practice, to start reducing this gap between where I am and where I want to be, I’ve been turning to journaling as a form of reflection, mindful planning, and accountability. My monthly process basically involves—intention setting, noting my dreams, defining my goals, my passions, things I want to do more and less of. This framework, so far, has allowed me to start mindfully tailoring my present activities, actions, and routines to where I want to go and who I want to be. I think this is a great way to continually check in on where you’re spending your time, energy, and resources.
For me, the things I want to work on fall roughly into these areas—hobbies, career, and wellness. Each one has some effect on the other, and they are all linked in some way. One thing to keep being aware of is to start from where I am today, to stay practical, and to start simple instead of constant future-thinking. Because I can only make progress through consistency and time.
With all areas and whatever I’m working towards, it’s important to find some joy in it. But first knowing what sparks joy is a great place to start, so I made a list of those things, to help guide me if I start feeling lost again.
📝 If you’d like to do a similar audit of things that spark joy in you, in a judgment-free way, start noticing and noting those things—that you and maybe only you notice, that you feel drawn to, that make you smile out-of-the-blue, that seem to always catch your eye. Nothing is too small or abstract, it’s all signal for things that matter to you and could enrich your life.
Keep making space for things that spark joy and things that are meaningful to you, every bit counts, and your future self will thank you.
📝 Leaving these prompts here, these are questions I’ve been asking myself and questions for you:
How can you start bridging the gap between where you are now and where you want to be?
What is currently in that gap?
What half-truths are you telling yourself? And where can you be more honest with yourself?
What are you trying to do alone? Who can help you?
What can you do today to make progress on reducing that gap?
What are you afraid of or worried about?
What is within your control? What can you let go of?
How do you feel now and how do you want to feel in 3/6/12 months?
What are your current routines, habits, and hobbies? How do you stay consistent with them? How do you prioritize them?
What could you be practicing more consistently today? In a year or two, what will you look back on and wish you continued doing?
Ending this one with so much love and gratitude—for this year, for the people in my life, and for ✨this space✨ that allows me to share my journey with you.
I hope you’re also able to reflect on your year with love and allow yourself to commit to doing the things you want to do as we go into this new year.
Till next time 💓
~ Cool things ~
The mindful productivity audit: 10 questions to improve your well-being at work.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is maybe my favorite book this year.