The lessons of the year 2019

​As we get ready to wrap up yet another year, it’s that time when we start to reflect upon all the happenings we encountered during these 365 days. Reflection is an important component of every year, as we can bring to our awareness the mistakes we’ve made, the decisions we took and the lessons we’ve learned. All these aspects lead us to discover where we have been, where we are now and where we are going. Every year teaches us something. 

As I look back to this 2019 year, attempting for my reflection with my journal in front of me and holding a pen, I find myself struggling to write. The truth is, this year has been very slow and quite honestly slightly confusing. It feels as though it’s been an uneventful year, yet so much has happened. And just like with all years, there are some important lessons 2019 brought in, so what are these?

The year of the number 3

​From a numerology point of view, 2019 is a year 3. This number relates to emotions and breakthroughs. Sometimes, a slow pace allows us to discover and decipher every emotion we keep locked safe within our heart space. Whatever the reason for this, this year is here to help us release these. In order to feel emotionally free, we must let go of any blocked energies from our heart, so that we can feel open to love and to feel of course. During your reflection stage for this year, consider any emotional patterns you broke free from. What are some ways in which you released emotions and how do you feel? What were some feelings that you kept coming back to and what have you done to free yourself from these? 

When we walk the journey of life, sometimes we feel a strong guidance from within knowing where our steps lead to. 2019 took us on different side streets and narrow alleyways to teach us to travel on those paths we have ignored and avoided previously. This can bring a sense of confusion and feeling lost, but as the famous saying goes “Not all who wonder are lost”. During these wondering and unexpected adventures, we might loose our sense of stability and grounding. The foundations we set for the next destination, might no longer seem so clear and somehow, through traveling into the unknown we eventually find our way back home. Detours are sometimes necessary in order to find our courage to continue to explore that urge from within, to know that no matter how lost we might feel, we will eventually come back on the right track. What are some detours this year led you to take? How have these helped you find your way back home, back on your life path?

If you want to travel far,
​travel light.

Encountering detours, road blocks and emotional discoveries bring us to the realisation that we must release anything that has been holding us back so that we are no influenced by our past or any illusions we have brought ourselves to believe in. When we feel pressure emotionally, mentally and physically, we can feel stuck and confused. The slow energy of this year empowers us to let go of anything that feels heavy, of past mistakes, of relationships that no longer serve us, of careers that do not bring out the potential in us, of places that make us go around in circles, of habits that are no longer in alignment with our higher self. Letting go of any heavy burdens we have been carrying can be a tedious, slow and frustrating, sometimes even heartbreaking. We are naturally made to move freely, to feel openly and to live passionately, but when we have aspects of life dragging us down, this is difficult. What are some mistakes and poor decisions you made which you can now forgive yourself for? Who are the people you now need to part ways with and who are those you want to give more of your time and energy to? How is what you do serving your purpose in the world and what steps can you take to ensure you are contributing to the world in your own unique way? How is your daily routine and the habits you have in alignment with your true essence and which ones do you need to change or release so that you can vibrate at a higher frequency? 

Patience & surrendering

Perhaps the most important lessons learned from 2019 are patience and surrendering. Expecting life to turn out a certain way is not necessarily a straight road or realistic. Through all the detours and emotional outbursts, we learn to be still for a moment. And stillness can feel uncomfortable, but necessary. Patience brings us to live in the present moment, to stop running away from aspects we don’t want to face; to stop chasing things, people, careers that takes us away from our purpose; to go through every experience with trust and observe the universe work its magic. Surrendering is about trusting that all is happening for us. Even during moments of doubt and fear, there is a split second when we can make the decision to let go of control or continue to feed our ego with confidence. When we decide to let go of the need to control the life flow and just float with its rhythm, we surrender to all that we are meant to encounter, to live it, to learn from it and to let go. Most importantly, we learn what we do want, coming from a space of intention, clarity and purpose, and not what we want based on our ego’s desire. Pressing pause on life for a moment and becoming an observant on all that’s going on, brings us to realise that every moment is about trust and love. Knowing that no matter what, those experiences our soul is here to go through, are coming to us because we are meant to go through there. Every action leads to a reaction, and the decisions we make bring the consequences of these reactions. How has this year taught you to become more patient? What are some ways in which you learnt to trust yourself? Which experiences taught you to let go of control and just flow with what is presented to you?
When are feel the need to constantly be in control, we can also block any unexpected happenings that are gifted to us by the universe, the little surprises of life as I like to call them. Often we believe we know what’s best for us, but when things don’t work out the way we wanted them to, we actually learn that a better course of action is presented to us. What once we were so sure of, we learn to be thankful for it never happening because a new, better way was presented to us. No matter how much we try to fight against the flow of the universe or the divine, eventually we learn to surrender. Even though we are the creators of our journey, there is always a higher vibration which we can tap into and learn to trust its guidance. The wisdom of our intuition always knows the truth. 

Finally, amongst everything that has happened, a sense of gratitude is important. Being thankful for your experiences and for every lesson is necessary. Gratitude teaches us to see just how blessed we are to be alive. And if you find yourself struggling to come up with something you are truly thankful for from 2019, make a pause and take a few deep breaths. Realise you are still alive and part of this magical universe full of ups and downs, of lessons and experiences, of love and hope. You are blessed to wake up and continue to walk on your journey, so where will you travel to next? What will you do? How will you feel?

Make a commitment to yourself now in this moment to live the next 365 days of your journey with confidence, with love and compassion; with courage to take some risks, with an open heart to let some people in and with a clear mind to write your next chapter of life with passion and joy.