Goodbye 2023, Hello 2024
Reflecting on the Past, Resolving for the Future: Embracing Community in the New Year.
Goodbye 2023
I love the New Year holiday; I always have. The parties (I used to go to, haha), the excitement, the love, the joy. When the clock strikes 12 am, it's all about love, hugs, and happiness in anticipation of what's to come and in gratitude for what's passed and present in your life. It's the best.
In the past several years, I've started focusing on my "exit" from the present year rather than jumping right into my goals and dreams for the next year.
I am a huge fan of reflection and introspection. The end of the year gives the opportunity to do just that—sit back and reflect, contemplate, take a "holistic review," if you will. Another opportunity to celebrate successes, grieve over losses, and recount adventures, vacations, business triumphs (or trials). A moment to act as a witness to your own life.
What had I dreamed of that hadn't come to fruition? Where did I have tension? Stress? Any goals left hanging? Tasks and to-dos unfinished? Desires unmet? How did I achieve the goals I did meet? Where was I successful, and what did that look like? I think of the whole picture—career, relationships, spirituality, health, etc.
It gives me a chance to exit my year with acknowledgment, not an "Irish Exit" (which you all know I’m guilty of 😉 ) —to give my proper "goodbyes" and "thank yous” before moving on to 2024. How I exit is equally important to how I enter, in this case, and in many cases, so I’ve learned.
My momentum in the past tended to be too far forward. Introspection and reflection forced a pause, a time to catch my breath, to recount what happened, before rushing off to the next thing. To process and digest events and tie up any “loose ends”.
Reflecting better supports this process and brings forth what could actually use some adjustment, not what I think should be adjusted ( or what social media tells me to focus on).
A mindful approach reveals a pathway to more joy, moving aside the clutter that can feel so heavy, irritating, and distracting at times. More importantly, it invites in more freedom and space and for me, those words instantly relieve tension, release pressure, and alleviate constriction. Even typing the words “freedom and space” cue my body to exhale.
After the exhale comes the inspiration. The energy to look to the year ahead after properly honoring and closing out the year past. To create a vision, a loose path to follow, to bring into fruition the experiences I hope to have.
My last offering of 2023:
I’ll be doing a LIVE class on IG this Sunday at 10am, I’d love for you to join!
Hello 2024
Exciting changes for ESO, my studio and brand, in 2024!
ESO Transform Within, formerly known as ESO Live Well, has a whole new look!
I kicked off ESO back in 2015 with the mission to guide people on their wellness journey, and now, after 8 years, ESO has undergone its own remarkable transformation - from the inside out.
As with everything, brands go through changes, they evolve, mature, and sometimes need a bit of redirection after the inevitable entrepreneurial distractions 😜 😅. ESO taken that journey, and I’m thrilled to present our new look, tag-line, and website. It was the perfect moment to hit the refresh button, to reconnect with ESO’s roots and recognize how far ESO has come. Despite the changes to our external look, internally the goal remains constant - supporting individuals on their wellness journey, starting from within.
You can check out the new site here: www.ESO-transform-within.com
If you need some inspiration for your Exit, here is a lovely newsletter from my favorite, Caroline Myss. She offers 7 Questions for the New Year, you can read more HERE.
And I love these notebooks if you’re in the market, you can pick what type of paper you want inside, they are spiral bound, and have size variations. Plus, I love their story.
Wishing you all the happiest New Year!
Much love, health, and happiness!
To book a discovery call with me in 2024 please email me at Vas@eso-livewell.com.
Love this, especially the focus on the exit. We are so quick to jump ahead instead of savouring the moment and its learnings. Thanks for this prompt, and happy new year to you 💗