If The Middle is where our stories are written, the finish is where we get to stop and read the chapters we’ve written.
2020 is done. As mentioned in The Middle Book, a finish is simply a transition to a new start. Then we are back in The Middle. Thankfully, The Middle is what we are designed for. But as fleeting as a finish is, it is a sacred moment and needs to be treated as such.
How will you savour the finish of 2020?
It has been a significant year! All of us have shown resilience and grit. All of us have grown. There have been many negative consequences. There has also been good that has come from it. Whatever has taken place, I highly doubt any of us will forget this year.
So how do we finish it well?
STOP what you are doing
To finish well we have to stop at the finish line. Stop working, even if it is for just a little while. Put an auto response on your email. Close your laptop. Put away the to do list. For a period of time, just be you rather than you who does x or y. This is normally very difficult on day 1 given how habitual and relentless our work lives have become. We are always on. We have routines. We have stuff to think about. Now it’s time to turn off. Let the chaos of flipping the switch reign for a few days. It will become easier. Rest will come.
Celebrate
Consider what good has come from 2020 and celebrate that. Marinade over it. Journal if you want. Sit on your own and sip a coffee or invite friends over (safely) and host a dinner where you share what you are thankful for. This year we were invited to a ‘Friendsgiving’ with some of our friends. We reflected on the year and articulated what we are grateful for. There were tears and laughter, but the emotions were in a way, healing and energising. Celebration restores gratitude and protects our perspective. So often we feel that there is nothing to celebrate when in fact, when we pause and consider, we find that there is actually more than we think.
Replace
For those who have more time off, we can’t simply zen out for an extended period. Resist the temptation to plan the next year or plot out a bunch of scenarios for work but replacing what you normally do every day with a different task. I am busy building a vegetable garden. Clean the garage. Do that renovation. Read a book. Plan a holiday. Walk with the kids. Go to the beach in the middle of the day. Do what you don’t normally do so that you break up routine and show your body and mind that you are not slave to a routine. Change it up and enjoy it.
Let Go
Surrender to what is right now. We spend so much of our lives trying to control, working plans and setting goals. For now, just surrender and let it all go. Soon you will need to slip back onto that mode. It will be here sooner than you think. But for now, stand at the finish line and savour it. By letting go, we open our minds and eyes to see new things, to think differently and to experience life differently. In a way, we are pushing reset, doing a defrag which sets us up with the capacity to stand at the start line and run hard.
The 1st of January 2021 is around the corner. On the 2nd we will be back in The Middle. 2021 Our team are grateful to our community for giving us the opportunity to encourage you through The Middle and we remain excited to continue the journey next year.