#09 2022 is dead, long live 2023

Almost there, my friends, almost there. We all made it through the Christmas holidays more or less safe and sound. We survived family visits and traffic jams. We gave gifts and shared meals. We laughed, we ate, and most of you drank. We celebrated the last day of the year, feasted, and some drank even more. Yes, there might have been some drama, but here we are. A brand new year is ahead of us. But before jumping into the new year, there is one last thing to do:

Bury 2022.

When spectacular fireworks herald the arrival of a new year, one can quickly get excited by the idea of new beginnings. We are exhilarated. We are jovial. We set new goals and believe in new opportunities. We are full of hopes and dreams.

Only a few of us will reach them.

Because you can't take hold of new goals with your hands still clinging to old dreams. Reaching for new opportunities is in vain when you are bound by old grudges. Let them go. Burn them down.

2022 is dead.

Letting go

January, to me, is not the time of new beginnings, new year´s resolutions, and planning ambitious endeavors. To me, it is a time of being passive. To pause. A time of observation and reflection. A time of stillness. Stillness is necessary to figure out what I need and what is not needed anymore. To work out what should stay and what has to go.

When all the noise is gone, I am ready to surrender. When my heart is at peace, I am ready to fight.

Reflection

Looking back at 2022, my "one word" that comes to mind is: Endings.

Some tasks in my life are completed.

This is an essential but tough realization. We are creatures of habit. To realize that something “is done" and to move forward sounds easy, but it's not. Because it will mean difficult conversations and new obstacles. Changing habits means changing how you act, speak and maybe even think. It's tough because it involves reprogramming some of your most profound encoded behaviors without jeopardizing your system.

Changing habits can feel like open-heart surgery.

There needs to be some preparation before you can disconnect from your old system and programs. In the same way, an anesthetist and surgeon will prepare your body before giving you the medication that makes your heartbeat stop.

Then you need some temporary external support. Support that keeps you going while you do the inner work. Like the external bypass pump does the job of your heart and your lungs during surgery.

When everything is fixed, you reconnect the systems and make a test ride. You make sure your heart can do the work on its own again before cutting off external support. If everything operates normally, you can detach the bypass pump, have your breastbone closed, and your skin stitched up.

I think I'm stuck in my test ride phase and too scared to cut off my external support.

It's time to jump.

Goodbye, 2022 - you were fabulous.

If I am completely honest, this year was great. Things seemed to work out for me. There were no significant struggles, yet many moments of joy and harmony. I have never felt as strong as this year. Physically and mentally.

I know it wasn't easy for everyone. And I'm so appreciative of everyone who celebrated life with me despite their own struggles. This means a lot to me.

I made significant progress in my Pilates practice, worked with new students who turned out to be one of the most interesting minds I know, and finally leveled up my surf.

I saw spectacular sunrises and am still scared of big waves. I traveled around the island with my favorite person in the world. We surfed empty peaks and spent weekends in the mountains. We laughed and fought. I felt so loved.

2022 was terrific, and it would be foolish to expect things to stay the same. I am grateful for everything that has happened to me and can't wait to finally end my test ride and jump.

2022 in pictures

I put a lot of effort into my Pilates practice. And 2022 was the year hard work paid off. I felt incredibly strong most of the time. But I also had to recognize that rest is an important part. Toward the end of the year, I felt tired. It's time to rest.

I am so happy with my progress in surf, and I had some epic sessions. This year is the first time I feel confident when it's getting a bit more powerful out there. Nevertheless, overhead waves still scare the hell out of me.

I love sunrises. I mean, look at it. And this sunrise was not even the most beautiful one I had seen this year. To be clear, I stand up before sunrise at least 350 days a year, and nature doesn´t spoil us with such a magnificent view like this every day. You gotta earn it.

We love living a simple life. We don´t need much as long as we have our peace. Our current base is in one of the busiest areas of Bali. Escaping the crowd from time to time was essential.