If we knew of all the new beginnings that came after an end before the end happened, would we dread the end so much? In this episode, I get emotional about this year's rollercoaster and how all of the endings I dreaded so much actually brought me so many beautiful beginnings. From new friendships to new habits, all of the endings we experience are just the beginning of new and exciting things!
We cover:
So, let's dive in!
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Loved todays episode? Please share to your story, leave a review or message me some feedback on Instagram! I will appreciate it so much 🧡
If we knew of all the new beginnings that came after an end before the end happened, would we dread the end so much? In this episode, I get emotional about this year's rollercoaster and how all of the endings I dreaded so much actually brought me so many beautiful beginnings. From new friendships to new habits, all of the endings we experience are just the beginning of new and exciting things!
We cover:
So, let's dive in!
____________________________________
Want to unlock your true authentic self? Click here for Weekly Wisdom on how!
Follow me on Instagram here!
Loved todays episode? Please share to your story, leave a review or message me some feedback on Instagram! I will appreciate it so much 🧡
Hey everyone, this is your host, soph Storm, and welcome to the Ocean-Minded podcast. So come along with me and let's explore the depths of the sea. That is personal development. I'm here to help you expand your horizons and show you that you are the water in the wave, so let's dive in.
Speaker 2:Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Ocean-Minded podcast, today's episode. We're closing out 2023 and just really reflecting on the yaw, so let's dive in. I'm going to start this episode a little bit differently. I'm going to start with a little passage that I wrote. I was reflecting on the yaw and I don't know. I just felt really compelled to write this, so I'm going to read it out.
Speaker 2:As the year comes to an end and a new year is beginning, I reflected on this past yaw and noticed we experienced all kinds of endings and beginnings throughout the year. I experienced a big relationship in my life ending, but it brought me the beginning of many new friendships. I had a career end and that brought me the beginning of a more aligned career path. I ended some of my habits and I began new ones that served me better. It was the end of a version of myself that brought the beginning of my higher self. So whilst we dread the end, it's a nice reminder that where there is an end, there is always a new beginning. I wrote this when I was reflecting on my yaw and all of the change that I've experienced this year. I think there's been a lot of change throughout this year for everyone in different ways positive, negative, all in different ways. The end sounds scary, which is why I think the end of the year is like this We've got to just do everything. In December, you start feeling quite bad about yourself because you haven't achieved your goals or you haven't achieved certain things within this year. Endings are just seen as this negativeness. It's just like this word, that just like I don't know. When you think of the end, it's like doom. In life. There's beginnings and endings all the time, and I just love the phrase that an ending is just a beginning in disguise. And I think what happens with we're not really scared of the end itself. We're scared of the uncertainty in the middle between the ending and the beginning. I don't know what we call this time in the middle, but that's what makes an ending so scary, is this middle time. It's the time where we that's the end of something, but we haven't realized it's the start of something else, because every time something ends, something starts and you just you can't see it until you're in it for a little bit longer.
Speaker 2:Think of your past, previous workplaces or something like that where you've ended at a workplace and there's this period before you end that workplace and go into another workplace where you feel a little bit weird. But then you get into your next workplace and then you're there for a couple of months and you're like what was I even scared of? Why was I even sad? Why was I dreading? You have this part where, like the ending, you're like you have this like regretful moment where you're like I should have stayed. What am I doing? Why did I do this? But then, once you get into the next place and you've been there for three months, you're like, oh my God, why did I even? Why didn't I leave sooner? Why did I leave sooner? I'm so glad I did this.
Speaker 2:Obviously, some jobs aren't like that. Sometimes you might move from one shitty job to another shitty job, but sometimes you move from one shitty job to a really beautiful job that you love and you stay there forever. And yeah, there's just like this. I feel like we're not necessarily always scared of an end, we're just scared of that period between. Obviously, there's other aspects, like relationships, them ending, but then again there's also a period in between where, before you start another relationship and relationships can come in many forms, you know it can come in the form of having a partner, or it could come in the form of having a friend.
Speaker 2:And this year for me, like I had a breakup. I went through a breakup and I've literally I can't even count how many new friends I have now Like I definitely got like nine sisters on my Moroccan trip and I've got multiple work friends now because I've joined a new workplace. And then I have friends from my previous workplace that I've actually gotten really good relationships with. And there's just all the other people that I've just randomly connected with on over the internet my new clients. I see them as my friends and it's just like crazy how one end can bring so many new beginnings.
Speaker 2:This year has just been like I don't even know how to describe it's like I've literally weighed my most, I've weighed my least, I felt my best, I felt my worst. I have been in full health and not in optimal health. I've just been on this rollercoaster of a year of just such high highs and such low lows and it's really tested me. I literally have been so tested this year and I'm tearing up and I think I'm just going to be tearing up for like the rest of this period between the end of the year and the start of the new year, because I'm so grateful for everything that's happened and I just want you to like take a moment to reflect on your year, on, like all of the good and the bad things that have happened, and just reflect on all those things that you could be grateful for, every single thing. I know that in those hard times, like especially for me beautiful things came out of them and you know there's things that I wish came out of this year. Still, there's things that I don't want to leave in this year. I don't want them to be just in 2023 and not in my 2024. But I'm accepting the fact that I'm, like grateful for all of these things because I know, I just like, I just know that next year is going to be insane. It's going to be so amazing, it's going to be so much, full of just so much. And, yeah, I sit here and I just I hope that you can find this gratitude within you for some of the things that have happened this year and really like reflect on what those endings or those those points bought you, because I know, in my low points this year, it really bought me the realization that I actually have some really beautiful people around me. That's going to make me cry, because this year, like when I say it's been so up and down, like it has been and like this is just like the real raw truth, like I am someone who, like tries to like be open and honest with everyone and, yeah, there were points this year where I really had to be vulnerable and I really had to rely on people and rely on just like being so vulnerable and just like letting people help me and accepting the help. And it goes back to when I talked about in a previous episode about how, like, when in your times of need, it's okay to receive without feeling like a transaction and then, in your times of abundance, you can give back. I feel like this year I have really, you know, in my times of need, people gave so much to me, which I'm so grateful for, and then in my times of abundance, when I was really really feeling amazing, I was able to be there for those people or others in other ways. And, yeah, I'm just like, I'm just so grateful for everything this year.
Speaker 2:I tend to like, when I reflect, I tend to like not let myself get stuck there, because sometimes, when you reflect, you can reflect on memories that you kind of want to be immersed in. You know you still want to, you still kind of want to relish in them, but it's important to appreciate that those things happened and they, you know, you can take what you needed from those memories and use them to navigate going forward. And it's yeah, it's just really important to, when you're reflecting, to just not get stuck in the past, because the past is unchangeable. You cannot, you literally can't do anything about it and there's so many ways that you would have, could have, should have said things or done things differently, but at the end of the day, it's all it's done. You can't do anything. All you can do is okay, I don't think I want about the situation good and in the future make sure that doesn't happen again.
Speaker 2:So when you reflect, like there is this moment of whether or not you'll get stuck there. So just remember that when you are reflecting on the year, that it's just a reflection to touch on all of the things you kind of learnt and to really see how far you've come. Like just think of all of the things that happened this year, every single thing you put. You can't, you physically can't think of all of the things that happened this year, because it's a year, is a long time, like we're talking 365 days, 365 separate days, and just think of in those days as 24 hours and in those 24 hours, how many good things happened. We're going to leave everything that happened in 2023 in the past and we're going to take everything we need from 2023 and put it into 2024 and learn from these things, from these lessons or, you know, continue on with our newfound routines or our newfound confidence or self love, and we're going to take or we're going to build on those things and we're going to, we're going to go into 2024 with these lessons and this wisdom and and just continue on and just Do. Amazing thing.
Speaker 2:This year has taught me a lot this year. I literally will forever remember this year. Like I feel like I've had some milestone years, like we all have had milestone years, but like I was looking at some videos of myself from earlier this year and I'm like I actually do not recognise that person, like the feelings that she was feeling in those videos are just completely different. And when I say feelings, I mean I look at that girl and I'm like she genuinely didn't love herself. And I'm like tearing up again Because it is crazy to me. I've never loved myself the way I've loved myself this year. I can't believe it. Like I can believe it, but I also can't comprehend the change. Like 12 months has completely changed me and it's all because of this mantra, like 2023, the year I choose me. Like I just tried to love myself more and I just allowed myself to and I just trusted that I was going to, and this is why I'm into the work that I want to do now. Like this is why I'm like you know, I want to start helping people do this, because I can't believe that I've had this experience this year. And like loving yourself, like wholeheartedly, every single part of me, is the best feeling I've ever experienced and I really want to help people experience it and this is why I've got this whole.
Speaker 2:Like authenticity Like that's the word, the authenticity and like genuine, because they're the two things that I want people to like have. That's what I want to coach people in is like authenticity. Genuine Is when you genuinely believe something, or when you're being authentic. That is when you're going to love yourself Because, like, you're being a hundred percent, you like authenticity, is like a hundred percent you. You're so authentic, genuine, it's a hundred percent you. And when you start being a hundred percent you and like not caring about what people think, like you start loving a hundred percent of you. I just I can't even comprehend the girl I was in January. Like I literally couldn't even go to the gym by myself, and I can literally go to the gym by myself now. And yes, I'm not saying that it's like all positive rainbow and sunshine, because I've never claimed that anything is always positive. I understand that toxic positivity is a thing, but like I can quieten those thoughts so much easier now and I can.
Speaker 2:I've reef, I've reframed those. I was actually saying this to my client the other day. We're going into now a client session, so I was saying this to a client 95 percent, 95 percent, 95 percent of your thoughts are the same every single day. So imagine if you think negatively all the time. That means 95 percent of your thoughts are going to be negative.
Speaker 2:So what happens with your thoughts is you can change them. Basically, you think of your thoughts as like habits. You're just in the habit of thinking the same thoughts every single day, so that's why they're the same. So I don't know. Here's an example. Think about if you think about, like, what's for dinner or what's for lunch. You will think about it pretty much the same time every single day and that's because your thoughts are the same. So what reframing your mind does is you're thinking new thoughts but you're bringing in new thoughts. But what happens when you're thinking of these new thoughts or you're you're you're changing your environment to help you think these new thoughts is you're letting your subconscious mind do the work as well. So you're consciously aware, but once you start, you know, saying things consciously, your subconscious mind will start picking it up more and therefore your thoughts will change and 95% of your thoughts can be completely different.
Speaker 2:So when those thoughts do come up, all my positive thoughts now that I've like conjured up in my, in my habits, completely overpower these negative thoughts, because sometimes I mean, we're talking I'm 27 years of age. That's a lot of years worth of thoughts that I've probably had that are the same. And you know some of the thoughts that I've had probably 27 years worth we're probably talking from like a teenager, but especially like your body, you know positivity ones, your self-love ones, your anything self. I guess I've literally in my whole life, like barely chosen myself. So a lot of my thoughts that come up with choosing myself self still quite negative, but I my positive ones that I'm, because I'm trying to get into the habit of these positive thoughts and now overpowering those negative thoughts. So it's crazy to me when I think about this person that I was at the start of the year, that in 12 months how much my thoughts have just changed and how much that has changed my whole entire life. And I just remember, like the start of this year, being in the hospital and just being like girl, like what are you doing? You're so stressed out, like you're so fucking stressed at a job, why? And then, like that's the pivotal moment of my whole, yeah, was literally that that hospital visit, which would happen in January, so like literally the start of the year, completely changed the whole direction of this year and it just like every single moment from then it was like choosing me, and choosing me has been the best decision I've ever made.
Speaker 2:And I feel so fucking selfish saying that and I shouldn't. I shouldn't because everyone should be choosing themselves full stop, but like I genuinely believe that this year, from choosing myself, I'm giving everyone the best version of myself. I actually believe that I'm a better daughter, I'm a better sister, I'm a better friend. I'm a better worker because I'm not stressed. And like friend, because I actually have the capacity to sit down and listen to you guys, or I have the capacity to be like I actually can't take on your stuff right now because, like, if I do like I'm gonna explode. And and also like my friends have given me the space to be able to be like that this year, because, seriously, I fucking they mean break up, leaving toxic jobs. We're not working for three months, we've been through some things. So like we have been given space, but like my friends have allowed me to be, allowed me to choose myself to and get like be able to give myself that space to, and but also, yeah, just like return it in being a better friend.
Speaker 2:Like when I'm freaking, hanging out with my friends, now I'm a hundred twenty percent present, because I'm like there's none of this, like my thoughts aren't elsewhere. I'm not thinking about other stuff. Now let's go into some lessons. What are the lessons of violence? Yeah, I've learnt that. Like gratitude, like I thought I was grateful but I could be more grateful, and this past, like six months, I've been way more grateful than I don't know actually would say three months. I've been way more grateful than I've ever been, like literally like I'll be in the car just like thinking about all the things that have happened this year and like terms of like the good things that have happened and I'm like crying because I'm just like so grateful for all the things. Like happy, crying tears.
Speaker 2:The other thing that I learnt was oh, getting out of your fucking comfort zone has been another one. Getting out of your comfort zone, like I've just been like what going to gym when I never thought I would do that, literally flew to Morocco by myself, absolutely terrified. What else have I done? That's been really comfortable hot air, ballooning forward, driving went through a little small crack in a thing in Morocco, started a podcast. That's been uncomfortable for me because I have always claimed to have hate. Like I love talking but I also hate speaking. Literally so many things that I've done this year. I can't even explain all of the uncomfortable things that I've done this year because there's been so many. I've had uncomfortable conversations with people, ones that where I've been sticking up for myself a bit more because I've been a people pleaser I've had oh my god, I can't. Even so, getting uncomfortable has been another theme of this year.
Speaker 2:Feeling the feelings has also been another one like when I say feeling the feelings, I mean like I have been giving myself space to feel a lot more this year than I ever have in my actual whole entire life, and I've I've been feeling feelings times a hundred. So when I'm happy, I'm happy. When I'm sad, I'm crying and I'm letting it out. And it's actually really nice to feel feelings like this because, first of all, when you're sad, you're moving the energy and it's not storing in your body and then it doesn't you know manifest into like sore necks or hips or back or anything like that. And then when you're feeling happy, it's like when you're feeling a hundred percent in happiness and just like you're literally like the energy you radiate. It makes everyone around you so happy. I've got videos of me with my friends where, like you, can see how happy we all are just together, because it's just like when one person turns it on, it's like impossible to not feel that. So, yeah, feeling the feelings is another lesson I've learned this year.
Speaker 2:Nourishing your body. Nourishing your body wow, this one's been big for me this year. I have nourished the fuck out of my body. I've seen a naturopath and she I've told you, I've told you in one of my last episodes she works wonders. I didn't get sick for like ages until I got back from Morocco and then got bloody sinusitis and COVID within a month. And there was also my iron girl, this naturopath. I'm telling you she's great. My iron's up and my energy levels are up and my stress was down. Like she was working wonders. She was helping me sleep. She's helping me do everything. So nourishing your body through investing in health, but also I then move my body every day, I eat better, and these are all things that I want to do.
Speaker 2:I also eat takeaway meals. Still, it's not like I've completely gone on this diet, but I just love the meal more. I'm grateful for the meal and it's actually a beautiful teaching that I learnt from my trip in Morocco was being grateful for every single piece of nourishment on your plate and the plate being like grateful for that can change the whole taste of the meal and the utensils of people who cook it. You know the ground that's it's been grown in like. All of that can really really change the nourishment of this meal. So you don't even have to go see a naturopath to nourish your body. You can sit there and just be so grateful for your food before you eat it, and then you'll eat it and it will taste better like times a hundred.
Speaker 2:So, yeah, little learnings like that, and then learning that Morocco is just like this amazing country that everyone should go to and experience, especially like the little local villages, and a big, big, big one that I learnt this year is that everything's going to be okay. This is an affirmation I say to myself a lot. I've been saying this affirmation to myself ever since I heard it, and just like really believing that everything's going to be okay and that everything is working out for you and nothing's happening to you, it's all for you, is really just this beautiful reminder that like if it's out of your control, it's out of your control and don't worry. Like it's, everything is working out exactly as it should be. And I think that ties back well into the first, you know passage that I read, because when there's an ending, knowing like in that uncertain time, it's like knowing that everything's going to be okay because there's a new beginning that's going to start somewhere. You just can't see it yet and I think, when you're wrapping up the year, we kind of don't know what to expect in 2024, but just knowing that everything's going to be okay, like you know, we survived a year this year and hopefully we get to survive another and regardless, at the end of the day, you know, like a lot of the things we worry about we don't need to worry about because they're beyond our control and, yeah, I think it ties in nice with the everything's going to be okay, ties in nice with the an ending is just a beginning in disguise and that, yeah, everything's going to be okay. Whilst we dread the end, a new beginning starts and it's all going to be okay.
Speaker 2:So I've been a little bit of my feels with this episode, I feel. But I feel like it's not. It's not like a sad girl vibe, I'm like a grateful vibe, like I'm just feeling really happy and really, I don't know, there's just like 2023 as a special place in my heart. Even though it's been really hard, I really have appreciated this year and I hope that you can find some appreciation in it too. You know what, I know, you can. I know that there's at least three things that have happened this year that you will be grateful for and so grateful that you get to take them into 2024. So, yeah, take a moment to reflect back and show some gratitude to this year and all that it is bought, and I really, really, really hope that you have a safe new years. I look forward to seeing you in the new year.