Wrapping up 2019 and Welcoming 2020

I posted about my gratitude letter to God for 2019 on my Instagram story yesterday and I felt so good reading messages from people who said that they would also do the same. I have been doing a few things (kind of journaling rituals) since 2016 that I now do at the end of each year. I am sharing them in this post because I could not think of any other post to conclude this year on my blog. Silly excuse but all right.

• Gratitude Letter

I write a letter to God at the end of every year mentioning all the good things (little or big) happened during that year. Thank Him for all the lessons learnt; for the people who came and stayed; for people who left; for the battles that God fought on my behalf and I had no idea about.

I think that entering the new year, taking only good things and lessons is a great way to start the year on a positive note. Why do we have to drag along fears, worries, grudges and anger that do not serve us and have never served us before?

If you do not believe in God, you may write it to the year itself (for example, Dear 2019), or Dear Journal or Dear Universe or Dear Creator... the list is endless. It's just about recalling all the amazing things that happened from January to December.

• Writing Poems For the Ending Year and The Upcoming Year

I began doing this in the year 2015 when my bestie asked me to write a wish-list for the year 2016 in the form of a poem. So, from 2016, I began writing poems for both the years—the one that's ending and the upcoming year. For the year that's coming to an end, I write a poem mentioning major happenings, moments and days of the year. Unlike gratitude letter, I mention both good and bad things in the poem. More like a year review in a poem.

Since poetry is my best and most powerful manifestation tool, I write a poem to the upcoming year mentioning all my expectations, desires and politely requesting it to be a good one. I love writing these poems the most and like to make them rhyming ones.

• Preparing Self-Discovery Prompts Journal

This year I had opted for weekly self-discovery prompts. I had copied 52 prompts from Pinterest and every Tuesday, I sat down with my journal and attempted a prompt. In the year 2016 and 2018, I had done daily-prompts for the whole year, and I am planning the same for 2020. I have taken my prompts for 2020 from https://www.takingcareofyou.co.uk/.
Though I hate dated diaries, I use a dated one for this exercise because it helps me not to skip writing for more than 2 or 3 days. And I learn so much about myself while attempting those prompts in my journal.

• Setting-up Bullet Journal or Planner and Goal Setting

Every one of us planner users does it at the end of the year. I had already started setting up my bullet journal in October and I am all set to spend my 2020 with it. I am using Menorah's Dot Grid journal this year.

It's one of the most important things you can do before you enter the next year. Have definite, achievable goals in your bullet journal or planner, and do not just have career goals. Include all your mind, body, spirit goals in it. Your body won't cooperate if your mind is in a mess, or your emotions are taking a toll on your life, or if your relationships are in a turmoil.

• Writing Journal

Besides all these, the journal that I change every year is my writing journal which has my poems, my ideas, my notes, my plans, my thoughts, my short stories, and everything that comes to my mind! It's the journal that's the most important one and I keep going back to all the time (even the previous year ones). I prefer using a five-subject spiral-bound notebook so that I can write in another section of the journal if one of the sections have an unfinished poem or story or any other project. I use this journal for everything... an aid to declutter my mind.

My Writing Journals for 2018, 2019 and 2020

So, this is it. I hope you're all set to enter 2020 with a grateful and positive heart as well. Leave what you can't control in the hands of The Almighty and make the coming year an unforgettable one!