Tag: #2021

Open Letter to 2021 (12-8-21)

Happy Wednesday! 

As the year comes to a close, I find myself reflecting.  Here is my open letter to 2021 about the emotions and lessons it gave me.

Dear 2021,

How’s it going?  After the year that was 2020, you’ll probably most be remembered as the year that didn’t totally suck.  I mean after 2020 the bar was pretty low, and you managed to get over it.  High five!  While I’m chilling by my Christmas tree here are my thoughts and feelings.

  • My family didn’t have the health problems we had last year, but things still aren’t entirely smooth yet.  This is just another reminder of how easy it is to take good health for granted.  I feel this will always be the top lesson that’s reinforced throughout the year.
  • Thanks for finding ways to nudge me to not worry so much.  It’s easy to get wrapped up and become consumed about how the pandemic, life stress, and other things are having a negative impact on my girls.  Then, I see them laughing, coming up with ideas I never could, and showing such incredible kindness to others that it makes me realize it is never as bad as I fear it is.  Plus, they still think I’m funny and they’ll still snuggle with me from time to time.
  • You brought some exciting new challenges to tackle.  Preparing for them and overcoming them gave me so much energy.  You also brough some soul sucking challenges to tackle.  I didn’t love them, but I made it through and am stronger. Thank you.
  • If you look at my phone, I’ve stopped to take more pictures of flowers, trees, sunrises, and sunsets than I ever have.  It makes me happy.
  • I feel like the entire world is kind of like a bunch of teenagers right now.  We are going through so much and all struggling with who we are and we hope to become.  I only pray that we are kind to each other as we go through these growing pains.
  • I’ve always been a big proponent that BBQ sauce can cover a lot of cooking mistakes.  BBQ sauce doesn’t help with failure or disappointment though.  You just have to work through that, and working through never happens as fast as you’d like.
  • I have a lot more stress related behaviors than I realized.  Being aware of this has been huge.  I hope to continue to improve my coping mechanisms in the next year.
  • There is something glorious about running in the cold darkness.  It’s one of the few times when I can hear the universe/energy/God.  Thanks for that peace.
  • I believe people change.  I believe it usually happens so slowly it’s hard to notice.  I feel myself changing though.  Not sure who or what I’m changing into.  Not sure if it’s good or bad.  It just is.  I often wonder if I’m losing something I had or if I’m gaining something new.  This probably doesn’t make any sense, but it’s one of the more human things I’ve felt this year.
  • The thing I’m most proud of is that I feel like I’m finding my flow/vibe again.  It’s different, but it’s mine.
  • I am loved by myself and others.  That is more than enough.
  • 2021, you were definitely a wild ride and 2022 is already shaping up to be an adventure.

Those are things going through my head.  Yours might be similar or different.  Whatever you’re feeling is okay.  Your feelings are your truth.

The challenge:  If you haven’t taken the time, take a few moments to reflect on 2021 and the lessons and emotions it gave to you this year.  How will these shape you moving forward?

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry

Giving Ourselves More Grace (1-20-21)

Last week was about analyzing your habits to ensure they will lead to success.  This week is about giving yourself grace when you falter.

Back in November in 2020 I looked at my life and realized I had fallen off the wagon when it came to working out, and that this was having negative consequences.  I made a goal that beginning December 1st, I would do something fitness related every single day, so I could become a healthier version of myself. 

This new fitness habit was going great.  My workouts had been awesome.  I was making so much progress.  Then a leg day crushed my spirits.  When I started working out that morning I felt really great.  I get halfway through the workout and my legs die on me.  I’m struggling.  I decrease my weight, I go without weights, and I eventually stop halfway into the workout because I just can’t do any more reps.  I’m upset with myself and feel like a total failure because I fell short of what I wanted to accomplish.  Then I see my whiteboard, where I make a tally mark for every day I do something fitness related.  I realize I have 25 tallies.  This tells me that for 25 days in a row, I’ve done something fitness related.  This tells me I have 25 days of positive progress.  Seeing that gives me perspective.  While I might have struggled during the workout, it was one more step toward being a better me.  While I might have struggled in that workout, screwing up didn’t make me a failure.  In the grand scheme of things, this bad workout was just a blip on a trajectory that was taking me into a positive direction.  I could either dwell on this one hiccup or I could say, “I’ve made amazing progress.  Let go of this.  Tomorrow is another day.”

You might be seeing the connections.  I don’t know about you.  I know that I over sensationalize my mistakes.  My small mistakes quickly turn into colossal failures.  When I do this, I lose sight of how much progress I’ve made and how often I’ve done things successfully.  I lose sight of how this is one small blip on a path that is leading me to something better.  I lose sight of the fact that the one stumble doesn’t matter much in the grand scheme of things.  Do you ever feel this way?  If you do, it’s important to give yourself a little grace and pause a moment to put this situation into perspective.  I’m sure you’ll see things a little differently when you do.

The challenge: We are all striving to be our best, so let’s give ourselves grace if we fall a little short from time to time.  How are you keeping your shortcomings in perspective?  #moreselfgracein2021

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry