Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 (edited) Make yourself a warm beverage (I have my chai with extra nutmeg sitting in front of me), grab a pen and stationary and find a quiet place where you can write for a few minutes. You will be writing three short letters to yourself to be opened throughout 2022. First letter - a letter of encouragement. Write a letter you can open at any time throughout the year when you are feeling down, aren't making progress toward your goals, or need a pick me up. This letter must be positive and encouraging. Second letter - a letter to be opened toward the end of June. This letter will be a reality check. It should ask questions about how you are doing with your goals and relationships. It should give you a kick in the seat of the pants and make you feel like digging in for the next six months. Remember the prompt about what will make 2022 successful? Think about your answers and assess if you are on track (please, do not be negative or cheeky about this. This is YOUR year and YOU can make it something beautiful (not necessarily grand, perfect, award winning, or take my breath away awesome but it can be beautiful and you can make progress). Third letter - a letter to be opened on December 1. In this letter you will predict how you think your year is going to be. Will any significant events occur? Will you reach your goals? You can include a blurb about COVID but this letter is about YOU and YOUR life. This can be a longer letter if need be. Include the goals you have set throughout this month of Review and Looking Forward. Make a contract with your future self to strive, challenge, and succeed. Who do you want to be? Who do you need to be? --- I want to offer a sincere thank you to those who have joined me this month. It can be a difficult process (especially when so much is wonky). Being honest about yourself in a public forum shows your strength and fortitude. I hope you enjoyed learning about yourself and realize that you are not alone in your struggles; you have a band of sisters who have similar feelings and experiences. I wish you the best of luck in the New Year and hope you find something to work toward to give you a sense of purpose, joy, and satisfaction. If you didn't write down your responses to the prompts, consider grabbing a journal or diary and copying the prompts and your answers. Edited December 31, 2021 by Granny_Weatherwax 4 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Thank you so much for doing the reflections and look-ahead @Granny_Weatherwax. It is not something I've done before and found it very meaningful and insightful! 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 You're warmly welcomed, Hannah. Thank you for joining me. Hugs for a wonderful New Year. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 @Granny_Weatherwax Echoing. Thank you! The structured and frequent prompts have been challenging and thought-provoking. Looking forward to writing my letters this evening when I have the house to myself. 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 @ScoutTN - I am so glad you enjoyed yourself. A warm Happy New Year to you! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditto Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 I also want to say thank you to @Granny_Weatherwax and to all who have answered these daily prompts. It has really been beneficial to get insight from other people and to also self-reflect. I do hope that everyone has a Happy New Year and that 2022 is kinder and more gentle to us all than the last couple of years have been. I look forward to being a part of the goals group and continuing the work that these daily December prompts have started. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 @Ditto - I'm happy you enjoyed it. A warm Happy New Year to you. See you tomorrow when we begin our 2022 challenges group. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DreamerGirl Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 I was looking for this thread and could not find it because I kept looking for Dec 31st. 😊 I too want to thank you @Granny_Weatherwax for the thoughtful prompts and also the thanks thread. I have really enjoyed participating with everyone. May the coming year be better than what the past two years have been with just the normal challenges of life and may this terrible thing be manageable. Happy New Year ! 3 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Also chiming in to thank you, @Granny_Weatherwax, for doing this very meaningful thread throughout December and for committing to doing a group challenge for next year. I am excited to do the letters! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 @DreamerGirl Thank you for the kind words. A warm Happy New Year to you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 @Quill - Thank you. A warm Happy New Year to you. See you in the Goals Group tomorrow. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted December 31, 2021 Author Share Posted December 31, 2021 My letters are written and slipped into the pocket of my Bujo. I had some purple stationary I made at a Stampin' Up party years and years ago and I used it. It felt good to use something pretty and already on hand. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anne Posted December 31, 2021 Share Posted December 31, 2021 Thank you for posting these prompts - they have been very helpful to me as I think about the coming year.. Anne 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted January 1, 2022 Author Share Posted January 1, 2022 @Anne - Warm New Year salutations to you 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regentrude Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 @Granny_Weatherwax thanks for the prompts, those were fun and thought provoking. Have a good new year! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted January 1, 2022 Author Share Posted January 1, 2022 @regentrude - Thank you for joining me. A warm Happy New Year to you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin M Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 I love the idea of writing letters to myself for the coming year. Reminds me of Julia Cameron's Artist Way and writing letters to your self from your 8 year old self and your 80 year old self. Quite an interesting exercise. I'd love to join in. Could use the incentive and the accountability. My resolutions are more writing and reading related, but I need to stick in a health one too. Trying to decide what that is. Happy New Year! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 My letters are written on nice Crane stationary (notebook paper just seemed wrong for me somehow) and tucked into the drawer of my bedside table. I also completed my 2021 reading challenge this evening! I will get a jump start on my 2022 book list tonight. Settling in with dessert and a fat novel. I’m a NYE wimp - I never stay up. 😜 HNY! 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 @Granny_Weatherwax, thank you for leading this wonderful process all month long! I've never participated in something like this before, and it is very timely in my life. I hope that everyone who participated has a great year ahead full of joy and grace! I never made it back on here yesterday to see this, but I am going to write the letters this morning. @ScoutTN, thank you for mentioning the stationary. I have some stationary that dd bought in Italy while she did her school humanities tour of the country. I don't have a lot left, but I think I'll use it for my letter of encouragement. I've never used it for myself, just very special letters. 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted January 1, 2022 Author Share Posted January 1, 2022 @Robin M - A warm Happy New Year to you. Feel free to join us in the 2022 Goal group Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Granny_Weatherwax Posted January 1, 2022 Author Share Posted January 1, 2022 @mom31257 - A warm Happy New Year to you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom31257 Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 39 minutes ago, Granny_Weatherwax said: @mom31257 - A warm Happy New Year to you Thank you! I looked back through all the prompts, and I realized I never went back to the word or phrase for the year. I definitely want my word to be Hope. As far as a phrase, maybe my favorite line from LOTR, "There's some good in this world, Mr. Frodo, and it's worth fighting for." All of us have good in our lives that deserves a chance to win out in the end. If we foster that good, I think the hard things will be diminished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TexasProud Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 Thank you for doing these prompts. I am normally really, really good at reflections and end of the year stuff. I not only have these challenges, but I have several other ones I am doing this year, but I have never, ever felt so stuck. Covid is worse. My community has been back to normal, but I cannot participate in choir and all of the other things I adore because I am taking care of mom. Empty nest and Covid stopped all the fun things I was involved in as far as seeing other people and/or trying to find new communities to be involved in. Husband has been doing mission work overseas for 6 weeks at a time every few months and other ones for a week at a time. Some of these trips I was supposed to go on, but obviously cannot with mom. But he has to do these trips to keep up his surgical skills since he is no longer in private practice. I just feel lost. I don't know how to plan. I don't know how to make life better for me. I am just looking at my planner for 2022 and just shutting it. I miss the life Covid stole from me. But then I feel guilty, I mean SO SO many people lost loved ones and I am whining about being isolated. How narcissistic is that????? But I am lonely. I don't know how to make professional and career plans because of Covid and my mom. I don't know how to be less isolated with Covid. I am just sitting here looking at 2022 and feeling lost. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marbel Posted January 1, 2022 Share Posted January 1, 2022 Another thank you for the thread. I have never been big on writing letters to myself - for one thing, where to keep them so I can find them at the right time? - however, I will be happy to give it a try. Happy new year! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.