As the clock struck midnight, suddenly we entered 2024. But the journey to this new year was not sudden at all. Some of us experienced many highs such as getting engaged, going on solo trips, getting a work promotion, graduating, starting school (again), mending relationships, starting a new business, and so on. Some of us also experienced low moments such as sickness, grieving the ending of old patterns, loved ones, and so on. Whatever your highs and lows were, I want you to know that you are not alone. Personally, for me, I navigated through a myriad of emotions and unpacked so much in 2023 that I have had to remind myself that “I am safe, I am love(d), I am stable, I am secure, I am protected. I am guided”. Sometimes the stories we tell ourselves or the projections we absorb from society have us question whether we are on the right path or whether things will pan out the way we have it planned out. But as I am continuously learning to quiet my thoughts and sit with myself, I’ve been asking this question: “who are you living for? Is it for others or is it for yourself?” Lately, my response to this is, “Girl, if it’s for yourself, then trust that you are exactly where you are meant to be. Also be gentler with yourself and remember that you are meant to receive and access all that you desire because it is absolutely your birthright”.

As I am writing these words, my mind is going in different directions. At first, I thought I would share in more detail what has shown up for me during these past months especially during the month of December but now, that’s not what my heart wants to share, and this is a pleasant surprise. Perhaps it's because I am sitting in the energy of “excitement, newness, and wonder” so in this very moment, my thoughts are more aligned with this vibration. I am excited for what is here and is yet to come. While I can’t put my finger on it, I feel that whatever is on its way is going to be wrapped in love and just pure peace and that is because it is what I am calling forth within myself. The shifts are already here, and I won’t lie, there’s still lingering fear because not knowing what tomorrow brings is somewhat unsettling for me. As always though, I can and do reframe my thoughts so instead of moving in fear, I return to one of my present affirmations “I am safe, I am love(d), I am stable, I am secure, I am protected. I am guided”.

There are always new gifts that come with beginnings and in resetting. Most importantly, life gives us the most precious gift, time. Each day we get up, we are blessed with another opportunity to choose what we want to experience and what we allow in. So, while we’ve officially entered a new year, this is a reminder that each day brings that same effect—that newness. You don’t have to wait until normative events like this to self-reflect and reset. Like I alluded to, each day that we wake up, we are gifted with the free will to rest, pause, shift, celebrate, etc.

Speaking of the word “celebrate”, I can’t believe that in 2024, I will celebrate turning 30! To the 1994 babies (especially to my fellow Virgos), I know many of us are asking ourselves, “wait a minute how did we get here…you mean to tell me we’re the adults we would often ponder about while younger?” Phew! I just know for some of us, our inner child is loudly cheering us on shouting, “YESSSS YOU ARE DOING IT. LET’S GO!!” while simultaneously freaking out while softly saying, “okay umm but who can just give us the secret recipe to it all?”.  But really, where’s this secret recipe? Ha! All in all, I am in awe that we have already lived this long and learned so much about ourselves in the process. I am so proud of the person that I am, and I hope you are too. I am also proud of what I have accomplished thus far, and I hope you are equally proud of your respective accomplishments. I’m being serious! Have you even taken a moment to recognize that we are LIVING our ancestors’ wildest dreams? For example, I think about those ancestors who come before me. My ancestors from my village in Cameroon-Bakoko who in their wildest dream, perhaps would have thought of moving to the capital, Yaoundé as their end goal or perhaps sending off their kids to school. Then I think of my grandparents who pushed that dream even further and gave my parents the seeds that enabled them to dare to access more abundance. And then I think of my own parents who too, persevered through so much in their own lives and managed to raise my siblings and I literally oceans across from their home. I find so much power in this act and symbolism in consciously recognizing that my parents have passed on the torch which shines so bright as here I am, in a country (I now call home) far away from my native land, with the privilege to not only access more abundance but also attain anything and everything I set my mind to with fierce conviction.

A brief rearview glance such as the one above reassures me that even in moments of sadness or uncertainty, which is inevitable, I am already living my ancestors’ wildest dream so really, everything else is bonus. And with this in mind, I then return to the precious gift I am offered each new day that the sun arises—time and choose to rest in the knowing that all is well and (re)focus on committing to saying yes to myself and life more often than saying no.

Lastly, I return to my anchoring affirmations and with repetition I say,

Hello 2024.

Until next time, I leave you with the thought below:

What is an affirmation you plan on resting in throughout this new year? Write it down or say it to yourself.

Resources:

• Affirmations: What They Are, Health Benefits, and Getting Started

• Using Affirmations: Harnessing Positive Thinking

• Daily Affirmations & Positive Quotes from Louise Hay