S4 Bonus 01: Unpacking 2021 & Mapping 2022

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[00:00:00] Welcome to the Genius Womxn Podcast. I'm your host, Yulia, Denisyuk, an award-winning travel photographer and writer with work in some incredible publications like National Geographic, AFAR Magazine, and more. And this year you see my name in places like Conde Nast Traveler. I'm on a mission to help other women who want to grow their trouble, storytelling, careers, go after their dreams while feeling supported, worthy, and bold. If you're ready to ditch your fear and doubts to the side, step into your brilliance and take action on your dreams. You're in the right place. Let's go.

[00:00:40] Hi, everyone. We are taking time to rest here at the Genius Womex Podcast, and we will be returning with fresh season five episodes for you in February. And so then I'd like to share with you a few conversations that we regularly have in the circle. Our membership for women on the creative path, who are looking for ongoing support, encouragement opportunities and the community as they establish themselves in the travel media.

[00:01:07] In today's bonus episode, I'm sharing with you a timely discussion. We just had in the circle to kick off the month of December, December is a natural time when we slow down a bit and become more introspective, then start looking into the next year and thinking ahead, what's coming for us. In the circle, we are adding a bit more structure to this introspection with a guide to unpack 2021 and start mapping out 2022 in today's discussion.

[00:01:37] We're going over some of the key questions you want to ask yourself as we close out this year. And if you'd like to get a copy of this guide, visit genius women.com/guide to get yours. All right, let's get it.

[00:01:53] today, we're going to talk about what's our monthly topic, uh, our monthly theme for the year. And because this is the September, because this is the end of the year. I traditionally, well, traditionally, this is the second time that we're doing now.

[00:02:11] Uh, this is our second December in the circle. I want to dedicate the month of December to the theme of taking stock of where this year has been for each one of you and also, uh, putting some intentions, putting some thoughts into what you want your next year to look like. And this is not new rides. We sort of do that anyway.

[00:02:32] In our personal lives, you know, in December, you, you, you hear these conversations a lot with, about, you know, wrapping up your year and setting intentions for the next, but I want to offer it to you as a little bit more, uh, rigorous writing practices of doing this work and to do that.

[00:02:52] I have a, I'm going to share with you this, uh, this guide that we created. and if you're listening to this later on, we will post we'll post this guide and the circle as well. So you'll have it. and as I'm sort of going through the, uh, the theme today, feel free to follow along in the guides. I'm going to share it, um, with everyone as well.

[00:03:17] yeah, so let's, let's get started. So yeah, basically. Again, when we do this work already, uh, less formally perhaps, um, then I, what I offer to you here, but I do want us to sort of dedicate some time and some space to going through this work and, and really documenting it, um, in a, in a, in a written.

[00:03:41] And you guys already know I'm a huge believer in writing practices. I think they're very, very powerful things like in the morning pages thrive things like visualizing and really setting your intention and putting things to paper. It can be incredibly powerful for several reasons. First. It, it frees us, it frees up space in our.

[00:04:03] Right. Uh, I know I do this a lot where I have so many things on my mind, so many things that I want to, for example, bringing to life for the next year, right. Sometimes they dreaming kind of, kind of thoughts. Sometimes I'm in the shower and I think about things like that. So all of that takes up space in your, in your mind.

[00:04:23] So it's really good to offload it, uh, on paper, but particularly around this time, right. When we're sort of slowing down, it's the holiday. Whatever wherever is. So, uh, I hope that you can find some time and some space to do this. It also forces us the routes and practice forces us to formulate some things that may be sort of vague in your mind.

[00:04:47] Right. You may think, for example, I want to ride for Conde Nast traveler next year. I don't know. I'm just making this up. Well, give, give some more structure to that. What kind of stories do you want survive for Conde Nast traveler? Um, you know, when do you want to start pitching them? It's like you give it some more shape and form so that it's not as vague in your mind and it becomes way more powerful when you do that.

[00:05:11] Um, and related to that, when you put things on paper for our subconsciousness, it makes. Right. It makes it real. That's why I believe, or, and that's why I think that visualization in general and writing practices in general are so powerful because it's one thing to think about it and they dream about it.

[00:05:30] It's another thing to put it on paper and see it in front of you, uh, um, on a piece of paper. Okay. So this guide, if you guys have already opened it and started looking at it, this guide is quite big. I think there's like 30 some pages. So it's a pretty, pretty comprehensive guide. And this guide has, um, two parts.

[00:05:55] Uh, first we want to take stock of where we've been this year and all of the things that we've accomplished, all of the things that happened to us, the challenge. Um, perhaps some personal situations, the dreams, the goal is everything that we had. Right. And the other reason why we do this. So one, one reason is that we want to take stock.

[00:06:17] We want to celebrate very important. We want to celebrate all the progress that you guys have made in this year already. But the other reason is that we also want to check in with where we're at. Right. So perhaps you did some sort of similar work at the beginning of this year, you know, with, or without the circle, perhaps you were already thinking, okay, here's where I want to do, uh, this year.

[00:06:41] Well, this is an opportunity to check in with yourself and ask yourself, is this still what I want to do? Right. Do I still want to move into this direction? And I just believe that in general, we don't do this often enough in our lives. Right? We're so busy all the time. We're always, we're hustling. We have so many things going on.

[00:06:58] But this is really important work, right? It's what gives directions to the next one year of our lives. And so I think it's, it's a really important, um, important work, but unfortunately not urgent work that we often deprioritize. So I want to create this time and the space inside the circle for us to prioritize reprioritize this type of work again.

[00:07:22] Right. Uh, some of the questions that we'll be asking in this bar, um, Oh, this work is, you know, when did you prevent me from doing this year, for example, which is a very interesting question that you don't know if an ask yourself, right? What did I want to do? And how does fear stop me this time? What are some of the big accomplishments that I had this year?

[00:07:44] Right. Again, we want to celebrate, we want to really celebrate all the things that you did. Uh, what are, what are some challenges? Um, what are some of the things I need to forgive myself? Also another very important consideration. And then finally, we're wrapping that part up with saying goodbye to 2021 and celebrating it right again, celebrating ourselves, celebrating our journey and all the things that we did this year.

[00:08:13] Um, with respect to that, there is another tiny thing that I want to share with you. And actually we talk about this a lot in the circle as well. We tend to always focus on the. That's in front of us, right. We want to be somewhere here. We're not there yet. So we are so focused on that gap between where we are and where we want to be.

[00:08:33] It just in our, I dunno, in our culture is we're just so focused on that gap in front of us. We, we very little, uh, very rarely. Focused on the distance we've already made. Right. Huge distance that we've already reached. I don't know why we're never looked back on that and celebrate it, accomplish that. And I think it's just so powerful when we do so again, we want to create the space, um, inside the circle to do that.

[00:09:01] So that's sort of part one of that work. 

[00:09:05] And then part two is. You know, once, once you did all that work of unpacking what this year has been for you and has meant for you, then you look outwards and then you start thinking, okay, what does that mean for me for the next year? Um, and some things to consider, uh, here are, uh, you will see in the guides, there is a spot for us to, for example, choose the word.

[00:09:31] For 2020. So, which is sort of this it's, it's famous now, this practice of rights, uh, choosing one word for, for your intention, um, uh, for, for the following year. And I have some suggestions in there. I have some, some, uh, a list of different words. You're also, by the way, uh, very welcomed to share. Um, w both from part one, like when you look at, you know, how your year unfolded and also from parts, so you're welcome to share any sort of observations you, you, uh, you know, you, you find particularly of course, like your word, for example, if you want to share that in the circle, uh, you're very welcome to do that.

[00:10:13] Um, you know, w what do you want to develop more next year? What projects you would like to work on? Um, et cetera, et cetera. 

[00:10:21] And this work, the forward oriented work, we do this in very great detail, understanding that not a hundred percent of what you put on that paper will come true, right? Just it's, it's very unrealistic to expect that everything you put on that paper is going to come true, but that's not the point at all.

[00:10:41] Right. That's not the point at all. The point is to give yourself direction. The point is to start moving in a certain. Uh, direction and then life will, you know, common to play with your intentions and with what your sort of dream the bouts. And, um, it will, you know, it will unfold the way it will unfold.

[00:11:01] But again, it's not the point is that, that you're trying to make everything a hundred percent come true. The point is that you're trying to give yourself direction. and that's, and that's really more important.

[00:11:11] the other thing I want to say is that for some reason, I believe in none of you guys who are on the code.

[00:11:18] So they were with us in December of last year, but we had some, I think Ashley, maybe if maybe Hannah were already in the circle last of December when we were doing this work last year. 

[00:11:30] And for you guys specifically, if you're listening to this later on, uh, hopefully you still have that piece of paper or that's file. Go back to it. Right? And it's such a wonderful, uh, practices that you can now start doing year in and year out to have sort of this, this progression of, of how things go for you and look at what you wrote a year ago.

[00:11:54] Right. And again, compare and see how much progress you've made and see how everything unfolded. And again, the point is not that everything will be a hundred percent how you put it on paper. That's absolutely not the point. The important part is to see the progress that you've made. And to celebrate all of that progress.

[00:12:11] Okay. I also want to say that very importantly, we don't make time or like we don't actually know. We don't have time for this. We don't have time for this unless we make time for this. Again, this work is not urgent, but it's very important. Right. We always prioritize urgency. Um, and I think it's a really good skill to develop is to prioritize the important work, not necessarily the urgent work.

[00:12:43] So again, uh, it's, it's an invitation for you guys to find the car while it's some time and some space for you this month to do this kind of work for your. Um, also want to say that you should try to enjoy it. Don't rush it. Don't like try to go through all the pages in one hour or whatever. That's also not the point of it.

[00:13:07] Right? It's it's a bit more that same meditative introspective, um, slow, deliberate work. Sometimes something will call for you. Some of these questions we'll call. Sometimes you will want to skip some of those questions, right. Maybe even try to approach it in several settings, because I will tell you, I went through this guide myself last year and I'm planning to do it again this year.

[00:13:34] Some of this is going to be draining actually, you know, because it's a draining in the sense that it requires some of your energy, right? Again, introspective energy, mental energy. Think about these things that we don't usually think about at all. So don't rush it, try to enjoy it. Maybe snuggle up with a cup of tea or something during the Christmas break or whatever, you know, how, how your month unfolds, and try to carve out that time and that space.

[00:14:02] That again is not going to be there if you don't create it. Right. give it the attention that it deserves, but again, don't try to complete it all in one setting because that's a lot to do at once. It's 37 pages of introspective work. 

[00:14:17] and when you are finished with it, I also invite you to share. In the circle that you have finished because that will help others and maybe even motivate somebody who hasn't done it, the ads, uh, to do it.

[00:14:31] actually, in fact, as we're speaking, I just had this idea that maybe that's, uh, that's what we'll do. I will formalize it. So I will ask you guys to share in the circle. Um, share in progress, like when you're working through it and maybe you've selected your word of the year for next year. So share that, you know, something that is simple.

[00:14:55] Share one word. And then share when you've done, when you've finished the guide. So sharing two things is what I'm asking you. If you want to share more, please do so as well, but two things at least, right? So your word for next year, actually three things. I think three things is better.

[00:15:09] again, celebrating one thing, you know, you did this year that you were proud of. Um, share your word for 2022 when you select it. And then when you're finished with the whole thing, shared that as well, so that it's, uh, may inspire somebody else, um, inside the circle and be proud when you finished that work for, for giving yourself again, that priority for this kind of work.

[00:15:35] Because again, we, we often don't prioritize this there's way, many more urgent things that we could be doing. Right. So, When you do definitely be, be proud that you did that. 

[00:15:47] Yulia: Thanks again for listening to our first bonus episode today, I hope you found ideas with discuss here. Helpful as we move into 2020 to have a wonderful holiday time, dear friends, and I wish you had time of reflection, healing and restoring yourself so that we step into the next year with hope and expansive uplifting spirit.

[00:16:08] Stay tuned for another bonus episode coming your way next.