Back when we used paper and pencil for our calendars, we used a pencil to schedule in the unknown and a pen to schedule in the concrete plans. If I learned nothing else from 2020, I learned to create my entire 2021 calendar in pencil. 2020 has clearly reminded us that we are not in control of everything. Are you or have you been chronically ill? You are very familiar with this concept of life getting turned upside down. I personally am tired of hanging upside down by a thread. I have a better plan for 2021, pencil-in life!! It creates an open mindset for the unknown adventure to come.
Those of us who have ever thought we were in total control of the outcome of our lives have had a reality check during 2020. Yes, we do have control of our thoughts and actions but not over other’s thoughts and actions. If we had total control, we would control the outrageous lunacy right out of others. We don’t so on we go.
Unexpected Tomorrow
Tomorrow has the word unexpected written all over it. Those who have been chronically ill know about this concept. We have learned about losing control of our body, our schedule, our finances, everything! Valuable lessons are learned from being chronically ill when we allow it, like learning that we don’t have as much control as we once thought we did. I actually ended up liking that lesson because it also removed a lot of shaming and blaming on myself and others. That freed me up for the new lessons that came with 2020, like penciling in my 2021 calendar!!
Intentional
I actually ended 2020 on a good note by being intentional for Christmas during a pandemic, isolation and craziness. I focused on the reason for the season and not anything else. During a possibly dark time in history, this intention was a beautiful ray of light.
Time to carry that into 2021. I am very clear that another 2020 can wipe out plans but I can be intentional about my penciled-in plans for 2021. Here I go, getting it penciled in!!
Pencil In Plans for 2021
For me, I have to see growth every single year of my life. Okay, so the details of that growth have not turned out as expected but I have structured my life to consistently have growth. In part, because I have a plan for every year. I have figured out that I can pencil-in work plans, financial plans, career plans. But what about all the unknown factors that are entirely out of my control? What a great time to take stock in a higher power!!!! Better believe I am going to pray and pencil-in my plans to keep me on course to the best of my ability and allow for God to change my course. More pencil-pushing means higher-power-pushing!!! It is tremendous growth to fully realize we are not in control of everything.
Pen In Attainable Attitudes
I decided to look at planning this year differently. What can I truly plan on, that I can put in pen on my calendar, in PEN? The answers all seemed to revolve around attainable attitudes. Making plans to move forward in 2021 for me include…
- be OPEN to whatever, wherever, whoever, however, the year 2021 will unfold for me
- remove more of my judgment towards others (I have never used the word idiot so much as in 2020, MY bad, I am flat wrong)
- add in more an attitude of gratitude
- remove any remaining illness labels and habits (I have moved far beyond chronic illness to hang on to those)
- add in more movement of my body, of my freedom, of my boundaries
- remove the lingering past that holds me down and dogged tired
- add in more of the present, the NOW
- remove the boxes that simply do not apply to me
- add in more busted boxes, more looking and living outside of the boxes that others have put me in
Those are some of my scheduled events for 2021 that I put in pen. They are attainable in almost any circumstance because they are the workings of the mind which is pliable. When I put forth the effort my mind is bendable, more forgiving in every way.
Worry Is Like A Rocking Chair
Keep rocking and we don’t get anywhere, we remain in the same spot.
Worriers don’t get anywhere either. I have tried worrying and wasted a lot of time and energy. To grow in life I will skip the rockers and the worrying. It won’t add an hour to 2021 so why bother!
Avoid Wasting 2021
Distractions during difficult times like 2020 can help us get through it. The goal is not to eliminate distractions but to manage them wisely in 2021.
Intentionally schedule distractions in 2021 to manage stress. We all know what it is like to let stress get to the boiling point and the tea kettle starts whistling. By scheduling in “letting off steam days” we are taking care of ourselves. We are allowing for the reality that we live in. We are acknowledging that we have some issues to face in 2021 and we need to be proactive in our stress management skills.
Since this is a chronic illness blog, y’all know what it is like to manage the stress of being ill. Tap into those skills you have already learned so that you can rise above the circumstances of illness. Circumstances are now coming from different directions but they are just circumstances, something that we can all rise above when we choose not to let them be over us.
Easier said than done but we can do 2021 with grand success. Make sure you buy a pencil with a very large eraser so that you can make a lot of changes to your 2021 calendar. We are going to roll with it. We are going to overcome obstacles and keep our minds focused on the good we can get out of the year regardless of what happens.
Right now a healthy immune system is one of our greatest assets. Millions of people worldwide are realizing this and taking action. I have done it along with thousands of others who were chronically ill. Time to scoot out the root causes that got you ill in the first place, raise your energy and immune system to be strong enough to get through the challenges of 2021. I have done it and walked others through the protocol with exceptional success. Interested in my coaching or specific products? Reach out and contact me.