35 conclusions from 2021

I could finally get my booster shot this week, and for the next 24 hours, I was lethargic. It didn’t surprise me. I had the same reaction with the two previous vaccines. So, I planned to do nothing productive until I felt better.

Not doing anything is hard for me, not as much as it used to be, but still hard. So, I read the years’ worth of Morning Pages for 2021. If you are not familiar with Morning Pages, it refers to the daily practice of journaling. The term comes from Julia Cameron, from her book “The Artist’s Way.”

What follows is a list of concepts I noted throughout 2021. I call them Core Concepts. It is a list I will carry into the new year and beyond. Some are fresh revelations, but honestly, most are not. It is good to be reminded.

1. Find the balance between planning and experiencing
2. Don’t jump to conclusions. Take the time to get more information
3. Distractions are always going to be
4. Writing should be fun–play
5. The people you want to surround you should also want to be
6. Embrace Ebb and Flow
7. Be kind to myself–I am better than my past
8. Trying new things should be fun
9. Minimize emotional hangovers
10. I am the only one I need to answer to
11. Life isn’t a contest–Winning isn’t the goal
12. Be Creative and ask questions
13. Deadlines are real, and meltdowns are not productive
14. Your creativity will only be so patient
15. Let go of the things that are no longer serving you…like stewing
16. Don’t do shit you don’t want to do
17. Good health is a gift
18. Work for yourself
19. Heal yourself from the inside
20. You don’t get to my age without baggage
21. Toxic Positivity is real
22. We all have mommy/daddy issues
23. Closure may be overrated
24. Just because you are a kind person doesn’t mean it is a free pass for assholes to take advantage
25. Don’t let people live rent-free in your head
26. We are all alone in this world–trust your internal compass
27. Physical pain can be a manifestation of emotional/mental pain
28. For some, what we have to give will never be enough
29. Good days should be the norm
30. You know what you need, so stop fucking around!
31. Do the hard work
32. The answer is always inside you
33. Step away from the computer
34. I deserve nice things
35. Shortcuts are products of the outside world–Practice is the product of the inside world

And one more–Take away what works and leave the rest.