Dear Friends, Fans and SoulMates,
Now that the New Year has settled in, we thank you for welcoming us into your lives each day, for spreading the inspiration we share with the people in your life, and for the many encouraging messages you have sent all year long.
2020 was like nothing we’d ever seen before. It was unexpected, filled with uncertainty, and we were unprepared in many ways. While it was full of harsh realities and lots of loss I did what I always do at this time of year. I took some time to look back on 2020 and see what I was grateful for. It is a practice I encourage as I have found that this act brings into sharp view accomplishments (large and small) that are not always apparent with a cursory view. My own search uncovered many events and experiences that filled me with such joy that I invite you to do the same.
Now is a time of re-imagining, moving forward in a spirit of creation. In fact, in the book I co-authored with my dear friend and collaborator, Sharon Brick, The Freedom Zone: Your Gateway to Love, Liberty and Happiness (2013), we outline some year-end steps to launch the New Year with your own Appreciation and Creation Practice.
Wellness Tonic To-Go
Blessings – Br. David Steindl-Rast
Here are some guidelines to support you in developing your Appreciation and Creation practice.
Commit to writing Accomplishment Letter (what you achieved in the past year) and a Vision Letter (what you intend to accomplish in the upcoming year). Remember to include all the areas of life that are important to you (relationships, business/work, money and finances, travel, body).
Appreciation Guidelines | Accomplishment Letter
- Commit to writing this letter within the first weeks or so of the New Year. Think of this letter as your year in review—a personal acknowledgment, an ode to you. Mentally review everything you have achieved during the past year and capture the feelings of pride from all of your accomplishments.
- Keep in mind that no achievement is too small to include. Maybe you organized your home, kept your checkbook in order, walked instead of taking a taxi from time to time—whatever you feel good about having done, make a note of it.
Creation Guidelines | Vision Letter
- Date your letter the last day of the following year. Your 2021 vision letter will be dated December 31, 2021.
- Write the letter in the past tense. I did X rather than I will do X. Remember the primary purpose of this letter is to help you keep your intentions in the forefront of your mind on a daily basis so you can BE the person who created the life described in the letter. This attitude will enable you to achieve your intentions.
- Include the feelings and emotions you envision accompanying your intentions. I enthusiastically paid my bills on time each month; I kept a record of my daily expenses so staying within my budget was easy and fulfilling.
- Read the letter daily to help keep your game plan in mind. Remember you are looking to seed the idea in your mind so you remain in action around your intentions. The act of regular review is similar to daily workouts or watering a plant.
If you choose to begin an Appreciation and Creation practice this year, at the beginning of 2022, we invite you to compare your 2021 Accomplishments to your 2021 Vision and see how aligned they are. Of course, we’d love to hear from you about the ideas in this edition of Wellness Tonic. Please send your feedback to Food For The Soul.
Thank you, and have a brilliant, healthy and happy 2021!!
Wholeheartedly,
Your Food For The Soul Team