Hello everyone! I’ve just joined Substack and I’m looking forward to sharing my writings with you all. For my first writing post, I think it only right to reflect on the year that we are leaving behind.
As 2023 draws to a close, this is the perfect time to open something new in my journey, so I have joined Substack. I was inspired by the author Beth Kempton to join this platform because I can see it to be a perfect writer’s space and why not begin with some reflective writing? This year has been one of much self-discovery and reflection, and I am leaving this year behind with the intention of carrying all the lessons I have learned and all I have learned about myself into 2024.
2023 was certainly a year of challenges, emotionally and mentally. After a setback in my ballet work and my writing caused by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, I finally began to recover and get back on track in the last months of 2022, so I came into 2023 with quite a huge burst of energy. I finally started my ballet work again, I started travelling again, I saw several ballet performances, more than I had in a long time, and I made some amazing new friends. However, about halfway into the year, I began to feel the effects of all that energy in a negative way. I realised that, while it is good to have a lot of energy, when you have too much, you might not know what to do with it and it can go everywhere. I also had a very stressful day job, which didn’t help, and in the end, I left because my stress levels hit the roof and I couldn’t cope. Looking back over all this, what I learned is that I was pushing myself too much to achieve my goals and, rather than congratulating myself for everything I had achieved, I was being too self-critical for not doing more.
All this combined - my stressful day job, over worrying and stressing out about things I had no control over, pushing myself - I was badly neglecting myself and my wellbeing. I was wanting things to happen overnight, so I was trying to rush things through instead of taking one step at a time and slowing down. The phrase “slow and steady wins the race” is one we should never ignore. Luckily, there are people in the world who teach us valuable lessons about self-care, self-love and the art of slowing down and calmness, and when we slow down and take a deep breath, we begin to realise that rushing things, setting too many tasks, putting too much pressure on ourselves doesn’t get us forward, it only pushes us back. As a result, we feel very negatively about ourselves, about the world around us and all we have achieved. I certainly felt that way and in doing so, I failed to acknowledge just how much people appreciate and value my work, and that all I have done means a lot to many people. I had known before how important my work is, but when I was overwhelmed with negative emotions, I forgot how the joys of doing what I love and making others happy with what I do. The moral here is don’t forget how valuable your work is when you see how much others appreciate it. It’s okay to get knocked down, but as long as you get back up again and keep going, especially when it’s what you love, you are doing so much for yourself and for the world.
Now, here at the end of 2023, I feel that I have been on quite a journey this year and I can’t pretend it’s all been negative because that is definitely not true. While it has been an emotional rollercoaster at some points, it has been a year where some very happy memories were made, important lessons were learned and I made some decisions that have helped me to move forward. In the beloved Christmas movie It’s A Wonderful Life, in the final scene at the Christmas party at George Bailey’s house, he receives a beautiful gift from the angel Clarence - a copy of Tom Sawyer with a message written inside, saying, “Remember, no man is a failure who has friends.” This is a message that is more powerful than any of us may realise. When we have people who love us - family and friends - we always have something very precious in the world. I have a wonderful family and friends, and this year, I made some incredible new friends who have been through the most horrific and unimaginable horrors because of the war in Ukraine, but their spirits are as strong as ever. To know them is one of the things I am most grateful for. I have my family, my friends from home and all over the world and my followers of my platform, and they have all given me more than I could ever ask for, and I can’t thank them enough.
I will leave 2023 and head into 2024 with this message to myself and to everyone - life is not easy, it can be one heck of a rollercoaster ride and, for some, it can be harder than it is for others. That is why we shouldn’t take life, family, friends, our talents and our gifts for granted, and we should not be afraid to dream. If we work hard, if we have passion, commitment, kindness, generosity, friendship and love - love for each other, for ourselves and for what we love to do - we can make our own lives, the lives of others and the world a better place. Each of us is a light to the world and we keep our lights shining as brightly as possible.
A very Happy New Year to you all! I wish you all much joy, happiness, good health and love.
From Amy xx