BLOG 251: THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSONS I LEARNT IN 2023 REVEALED!

As we step into 2024, I want to take a moment to pause and reflect on the most valuable lessons I learnt in 2023. These are the lessons I want to take with me into the new year (and beyond). 

I hope that they will also resonate with you and perhaps inspire you as you think about what you want the next 12 months to feel like.

I spoke about each of these in more detail in a solo episode of The Face Yoga Expert Podcast towards the end of last year, so if you want to learn more about the personal stories behind each of these lessons, do give that episode a listen.

You can find the podcast right here on my website, or wherever you usually get your podcasts (it is here on Apple Podcast and here on Spotify). Don’t forget to subscribe to stay up to date with new episodes – I have some amazing, juicy conversations coming up this year about face yoga, wellness, spirituality, entrepreneurship, and more. And you can also look back through the archives for past episodes.

With that important bit of housekeeping out of the way, let’s get stuck into the seven most important lessons I learnt last year.

 1. Little Rests Make a BIG Difference

Although this is something I feel I’ve been learning for many years, it really came home to me in 2023 how much of an impact taking the time to rest can have on my health and mindset.

Many of us think that we need to wait until we have plenty of time to get some rest. We wait for the weekends (or maybe not, if you are a busy parent like me!) or for holidays or for spa breaks. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m a big fan of taking a longer break from time to time. In fact, I recently took a little work sabbatical in December for that exact reason. But we can also make it a priority to take shorter rests throughout the day, allowing us to feel rejuvenated much more regularly.

For example, if you are a longtime follower, you will have heard me talk before about my three wellness non-negotiables. These are things I do every day, without fail, to support my wellness. For me, these three things are face yoga, yoga, and a walk in nature.

How long I do each for varies hugely day to day, but making sure I have these touchpoints spread out across my day gives me regular little rests from work. They also give me time to focus on self-care, no matter how busy I am. 

I also use other techniques that take just a few minutes and help me recharge, such as Qigong, tapping, some gentle stretching, or breathing exercises. 

 2. Nature Heals

I’ve already mentioned that one of my wellness non-negotiables is getting a daily walk in nature, but I wanted to elaborate on this a little more because another reminder I’m taking forward from 2023 is just how important it is to connect regularly with nature.

Whether I’m walking in the countryside or in my village or in the busy city centre, I make it a habit to look up. Seeing the sky, seeing the trees – it helps me feel centred and grounded. This connection with nature is so healing, especially on an emotional and spiritual level.

Being in nature every day – even if it’s cold, even if it’s raining – makes such a big difference to my spiritual and emotional health. 

And I believe getting out in nature also helps with my hormone regulation. I really struggle in the few days leading up to my period (I have PMDD, an extreme form of PMS), but when I walk I feel a sense of freedom, lightness, and balance.

I want to lean into the healing power of nature even more in 2024.

 3. The Family Comes First

Technically, I did know this already, but it is another lesson that 2023 really reinforced for me. Family is so important to me. I’ve always made it a high priority to spend quality time with my husband and daughters, but last year I felt like I connected even more deeply with this.

I’ve been thinking more about longevity and how what I do today will make a difference to me in 10, 20, 30 years’ time. Mostly this is to do with my health, but I also think about the relationships I have with the people I love. 

I want to look back when I’m in my 90s and be able to think, “yes, that’s exactly how I wanted to spend my time. That’s exactly how I wanted to love other people. That’s exactly how I wanted to be loved.”

After all this is all that really matters in life.

 4. Taking Responsible Risks

Another lesson from 2023 has been all around taking responsible risks. Not the kind of silly, careless risks that can damage us or those around us. But the kind of risks that make us feel excited and inspired – even if they also make us feel scared and uncomfortable at the same time.

For me this is all down to gut instinct. Listening for that voice of intuition that says, “yes, this is for me”. When you have that deep sense that the risk you are taking has rewards on the other side, it is easier to sit with the fear and discomfort and still know you are doing the right thing.

I really stepped into this in 2023 and allowed my intuition to guide me to those risks I knew deep down would bring me to more happiness, comfort, love, and freedom in the long term.

5. Pivoting Can Be the Best Thing You Can Do

This goes back to taking risks and letting your gut instinct guide you through discomfort. As human beings, we do everything we can to avoid discomfort. And that usually means we want things to stay the same, because that’s what feels safe.

However, sometimes we need to allow ourselves to feel uncomfortable and unsafe. We can acknowledge that we don’t like it, that it feels hard. But it opens the door to be able to make changes and pivot in new directions.

This is also about allowing yourself to believe that change is good. It is OK to change your mind, to reinvent yourself, to want a different life than the one you have now.

I’ve been leaning into this hard, especially towards the end of last year. I’ve been listening to that gut instinct and getting ready to make some pivots in my own life.

 6. Make Memories with My Children

In case you don’t know, I have two wonderful girls. And 2023 was a great year for making memories with them.

My husband Bruce and I travelled a lot more before we had children, as you do, and we still haven't done long-distance flights with the girls. However, now that they are older (7 and 11), we are going on more adventures together – taking mini-breaks and holidays in the UK or in Europe and also travelling more internationally.

We’ve really focused these trips on making memories together. Obviously there needs to be a balance. Holidays can be expensive, and I don’t want to give the girls the idea that you should regularly walk away from responsibilities or overspend on luxury goods. But I do want to teach them that experiences are worth more than material things.

Spending time travelling together and making those memories has been so lovely.

 7. All the Answers We Need Are Within

Last lesson on my list comes back to the importance of intuition and listening to that inner knowing. It may sound cliched, but I truly believe that the truth is within us. 

We know every answer, we just allow our conditioning, our worries, and other people’s opinions to cloud our judgement and leave us confused about what the right path is. If we can cut through all that noise, we see through to the pure light and love that lies within us.

When we really connect to that light and love, it has such a clear voice, and it guides us on the right path.

How you connect to that voice will likely vary depending on your human design type, but making the space to check in with your intuition and then listen to the answer is vital. 

I’m definitely taking this lesson with me into 2024!