Five Life Lessons I am Carrying into the New Year

It’s the last day of 2024, and what a year it’s been! This blog will be 1 year old in February, and I am so thankful for all of you who have encouraged, supported, and followed me on this journey!

I personally really enjoy taking the time between Christmas and New Years to look back on my year and reflect – What went well, and what didn’t? Where did I grow, and where did I fall short? How are my friendships? My relationships? How am I feeling – physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually? As I thought through these questions the last few days, there are five reminders I want to take into the new year with me. I am sharing them in case you need them as well.

1.    Pouring into others is a beautiful way to live.

There is so much joy and fulfillment when you share your gifts with others! For me, this comes through teaching and mentoring. I am loving this stage of life and the opportunity that I have to mentor rising music teachers! We were created to live in community. There is some piece of knowledge that you have, some gift, some skill, some words of wisdom that someone younger than you – no matter how old or how young you are – can benefit from. Build community through sharing your gifts!

Reflect: How can you pour into others using your gifts?

2.    To effectively pour into others, I must be intentional about living in a way that feeds my own soul.

This is something that so easily gets pushed to the side in all the busyness of life. But intentionally carving out time to be creative or to engage in activities that feed my creativity is pouring into myself so that I can share with others – even if this means “creating in the cracks” as author Meredith Hite-Estevez calls it. (Stay tuned for an upcoming post about her book, The Artist’s Joy.) If I have 5 or 10 minutes, I might practice scales or that tricky Chopin Barcarolle I need to learn for this spring, or maybe I’ll just play what comes to mind. Improvising is always a stress relief. Sometimes, this means taking a walk if I’ve been in my studio all day. Inviting a student or colleague to walk to the campus coffee shop is one of my favorite ways to feed my soul – and fill my need for caffeine!

Reflect: Take a close look at your daily activities and identify ways in which you can intentionally incorporate more creativity or time for creativity.

3.    Gently enforcing boundaries around my time and energy is the ultimate form of self-care.

When I set boundaries around my time and my energy, I am showing that I value what I offer to the world; and what we value, we protect. I can’t pour from an empty cup, so protecting my time and energy are essential for living an impactful life. This will look different for each person based on his or her own situation, but here are a few of my non-negotiables:

·      I don’t check my email or social media before 8:00 am. The time between getting up and 8:00 am is for Bible reading, prayer, journaling, and movement.

·      My email notifications are turned off. I have set times during the day that I check my email. Not getting constant notifications has decreased my stress levels significantly!

·      I rarely check my email on weekends. I can’t speak for every field; but in education, it is incredibly easy to work around the clock. There are exceptions to this boundary, but thankfully those are rare.

·      I take at least 30 minutes for lunch every day. Most days, I take an hour, but I do have one day a week that is rather full. During my lunch break, I take a walk outside if the weather is nice.

·      Friday afternoons are for me. Most of the time, I use Fridays to plan for the next week, but it’s nice to have this time free for doctors’ appointments or playdates with my grandson. 

·      I am extremely picky about who I allow into my inner circle. Unfortunately, age is not always an indicator of maturity. Keeping my friend group small protects my energy. Time is a priceless commodity, and I don’t want to waste mine on useless drama.

Reflect: Is there anything (or anyone) in your life that is draining your time and energy? How would you benefit from setting boundaries?

4.    Letting go of what I cannot change and embracing what is releases me to enjoy life more.

I recently heard an author say that when he is faced with something difficult that is out of his control, he will allow himself to feel what he needs to feel for a moment, and then he’ll say, “I can’t change it” and move on. These four words cue his body and his mind to release control. Why spend time dwelling on what is out of our control when we could be enjoying the blessings we currently have?

Reflect: If you are struggling to release something that is out of your control, make a list of things you can control. Make a second list of what you have to enjoy about your life today. Focus on the good!

5.    I have the ability to create a life I truly love.

One of the toughest but most life-altering lessons I had to learn as an adult was that no one was coming to save me. Like many girls, I had always dreamed of Prince Charming sauntering into my life and all the amazing things that would happen after we met. Once Prince Charming showed up, life would really begin, right?

Spoiler: Prince Charming never showed up. (If mine even exists, he has a terrible sense of direction!)

But when I finally accepted that creating the life I love was completely and totally up to ME, that was when all the amazingness started happening. I stopped waiting to do all the things I wanted to do. I started taking the trips, buying what I wanted, spoiling myself. I started betting on me – and I won! I started making the plans to be financially stable, to pursue the degree I wanted, to start that podcast and to slowly start writing.

Life got really, REALLY good when I invested in myself.

Turns out, I didn’t need a man in order to be happy. I just needed to love myself and believe in myself the same way I wanted someone else to. And through learning this, I also learned the importance of showing up for others the way I always wanted someone to show up for me.

Reflect: What steps can you take to begin showing up for yourself? How are you already investing in yourself?  

Happy New Year, my friends. Here’s to another year of learning, loving, and growing!

Take care,

Christina