Go Ask Sawyer
Go Ask Sawyer
SOLO - Sipping on Reflections, Toasting to New Beginnings
As the year's final hours tick away, I've stitched together an episode that's part tapestry of reflection and part compass for the journey ahead. Have you ever considered the weight of each step in life's grand walk? Together, we'll unravel the threads of 2023, weaving through moments of beauty and resilience, and pausing to honor the souls who've walked beside us. With 'Go Ask Sawyer' as our backdrop, we venture through the metaphorical landscape of optimism and its counterpart, threading our way towards embracing the "Stranger" oracle card's invitation to curiosity and openness in the vast expanse of the coming year.
Cradle a warm mug and settle in as we share a collective minute of gratitude, confronting the lessons that have sculpted our spirits, and deciding what burdens to leave by the wayside. As we chart a course for 2024, you're invited to contribute your aspirations to our tapestry, striking a balance between personal growth and the pursuit of joy. We'll bid adieu to the old with a celebration of love and peace, choosing the warmth of kindness to guide us into the new year. So, raise your glass—or teacup—to the resilience we embody, and let's step into 2024 with hearts full and eyes wide open to the promise of what's to come.
Hello and welcome to Go Ask Sawyer. New Year's Eve edition. Last year New Year's I sat down and I had found some sort of guided reflection, and I could not find it again this year and I was looking all over for different things to do to kind of wrap up my year and reflect, and I couldn't find exactly what I was looking for. So I thought what if I just create something for the end of the year and share it with friends and family and the eight extra listeners that I have? And that way, if you're also looking for a way to reflect on your year and journal and kind of really celebrate you, here you go, here's a podcast for that and you can share it with your friends, which is really helpful. So just to introduce myself, my name is Jamie. Last name is Sawyer. Go Ask. Sawyer was born in November of 2022 on a scratch sheet of paper while I was in Colorado visiting my oldest son, and I thought it would be a great place for people to share stories and lessons and just even inner thoughts. I have found recently just the way that I think sometimes sharing it with other people it makes people realize that we are not alone. Like, oh, I have those same thoughts too, or oh, this didn't seem to bother you and I realize it does bother you. It's a way to connect when we kind of feel alone in the world. So that's kind of my intention around this podcast is to just have it be a safe space to share stories, to share ideas and lessons, because we can never be amazing and great and wonderful if we don't go through some really hard times and some really hard lessons and learn from them. And I have a lot because I like to step in it. I went for a walk yesterday with a friend and we were talking about how she was saying, how she's always looking on the ground so she doesn't step in shit, right, like goose poop or dog poop or cats, I don't know whatever is out there, or even just like garbage. And she's like you're always just walking, not even paying attention, and like there's two different really great things to that, right. Like I said to her well then, if you want to create an analogy out of this, you're always looking down, worried about stepping in shit, not paying attention to all the beautiful scenery and amazingness that's in front of you. And she said, yeah, well, you're always looking at the scenery and just not even caring for, step in it shit. And so I think there's two really great things to look at with that one. Maybe that's a pessimistic, optimistic way of looking at life, right like me, thinking I might step in it, I might not, but I want to pay attention to what's in front of me. And then someone else always looking for it, kind of like seeing the glass half full or the glass half empty, and I just thought that was really interesting because I have stepped in my fair share of shit this year and throughout the years and sometimes I forget to look at the lessons that I've learned from it. So I kind of rambled there. I apologize, but I thought it was a really great analogy.
Speaker 1:And next time you go for a walk, pay attention to where you're looking. Are you looking on the ground or are you looking in front of you? Okay? So we're gonna start out pulling a card, because I just kind of want to have some intention and maybe someone needs a card pulled today. They're looking for a sign. I'm pulling from the shamans dream oracle.
Speaker 1:I really love this deck by Alberto Vellodo and Colette Bering Reed. I just really again, this is not a telling the future. This is not anything of that sort. Sometimes it sticks, sometimes it does not, but almost always the truth is inside you. The need, the want is inside you and it's just a matter of time before you realize it. So I have knocked on my deck, I've shuffled my deck and quietly shuffling as I'm talking, so you're not like, oh, what is that noise in the background? And I'm just gonna go ahead and cut. Sometimes I wait for something to come flying out, but for this time, in safe, we're just gonna go ahead and cut, cut once twice.
Speaker 1:Pull the top card Stranger curiosity. This is an absolutely gorgeous card. Little bit of dark and light to it. There's darkness with like fireflies in the darkness and then there's light with wings, very beautiful lake kind of in front of you. So the card is 53, curiosity or I'm sorry it's called stranger curiosity is right under it and it says the other moving past fear of differences, curiosity and acceptance. I know, moving into 2024, like just even looking at values right, like acceptance is such a huge value I look for in other people and in myself Acceptance of flaws, acceptance of who you are at your core and everything that makes you you, so you never have to dim for anyone else, or take a step down or back. So let's see what it said.
Speaker 1:The stranger moves through the world in a shroud of darkness that often elicits fear, rejection and uncertainty, as the danger of the unknown defines its very presence. Yes, there is a veil of separation between you, but closer and summon the courage to remain open to what you might find. You may be conditioned to look only for what mirrors what is safe and known to you, refusing to entertain any concept of other, beyond something to fear. In order to broaden your world and your experience of it, you must refute the illusion that sameness is the only way. Nothing you expect externally matches up with the other, and you're challenged by your own inexperience. But don't miss this opportunity of learning. Something extraordinary is being offered to you now. If you remain curious and teachable, allow the newness to envelop you as you explore the possibilities. This is a departure from your expectations, but the stranger has come to invite you to dance to a new music, a new temple, a new sensation that will all add more dimension to you and what you create as a result. Now is the time to leave room for other points of view, other ways of seeing, with humility and grace. This is a defining moment. Take the risk. Life is like a precious diamond with many facets, not just one.
Speaker 1:What an amazing card to pull on the last day of the new year, the last day of 2023. What is today? One, two, three, one, two, three. We are closing a seventh year of karmic lessons. 2024 is a multiple of seven, so I had read about like from 2016 to 2023. If I'm wrong on a year, please don't tell me, just fix it. But these last seven years, right, we've been in some sort of a karmic lesson. We're going up and down and it's restarting. So we're walking into a new seven year lesson, a new seven year event, a new seven year start. And what a great card to pull on that last day. This is a defining moment. Take the risk.
Speaker 1:How many of us are sitting still worried that if we take the risk of something unknown to us, it's going to blow up in our face? We're worried that if we try something we have never tried before and it doesn't work out, is that going to make us look like a failure? Is that going to make us look weak? But actually, again, like my last podcast about the incline, the fact that we're really willing to put ourselves out there. The fact that we're willing to take the risk, try something different, sets us aside from so many people who are just not even willing to take the risk.
Speaker 1:I saw something the other day about sometimes you need to get lost to find what you didn't even know you were looking for. That is how I kind of see risk into the unknown. Sometimes there is something that's supposed to be in our life a person, an event, a corner, a turn but because we're so unwilling to get lost, because we're scared of the unknown, we aren't even willing to make the turn. What glorious, amazing things can be around there that we don't even know are there? So, without further ado, let's get curious of what our last year looked like, when you can use the rest of this podcast to start and pause as needed. You'll need a notebook or something to write stuff down.
Speaker 1:The first thing I want you to start with is just asking yourself what was beautiful in 2023? What was beautiful in 2023? Just pause here and make a list of everything that you thought was beautiful in 2023. The next thing you're going to do is write down anything that was hard, thinking back to situations that you had been in in 2023. What things did you go through that were really hard, that made you cry, that made you frustrated, that made you angry? Make a list of those things.
Speaker 1:After you're done with making that list, write down a list of people in 2023 that showed up for you and this can be in so many different ways. This can be showed up for you emotionally Maybe they just checked in on you. Who showed up for you physically. Who showed up for you that you were not expecting to show up for you. So these list of people, as you write their names down, should bring a smile to your face, should bring kind of a warmness to your heart. Those are the people I just want you to reflect on that really showed up for you, maybe when you were down, maybe when you were happy, maybe when you didn't even know you needed someone. You are welcome to jot, maybe, reasons why next to each person, or just make the list. Pause here, all right.
Speaker 1:The next thing I want you to do is write down. You're going to set a timer for one minute 222,. As I look at my clock, set a timer for one minute and you are going to write down every single thing you are grateful for One minute. Do not stop writing, even if you say I'm grateful for my couch, I am grateful for my clean sheets. You are going to take one minute and write every single thing down that you are grateful for. Set that timer, hit pause and get to work. All right, doesn't that feel good to look back at that list? And maybe that timer went out and you wanted to keep going. I hope you kept going. All right.
Speaker 1:The next two are going to be a little bit more difficult. Take a deep breath and I want you to think of a really hard lesson that you had to face this last year, in 2023. Maybe it's something about yourself. Maybe it's a pattern that you're like doggone it. I'm still doing it. Do not judge yourself for this lesson. Let it come, write it down and let it be.
Speaker 1:After you write down your hard lesson, I want you to write down a few things you're going to release from that lesson. Maybe you're releasing pleasing other people. Maybe you are going to release an idea that you're a bad person. Maybe you are going to release the idea that you can't. Whatever it is you are going to release, I would say try to write down two to three things you're going to release. So what is a hard lesson that you have to face, had to face, are facing in 2023? And what are two to three things you are going to release? Go ahead and press pause. All right, we have two things left. Two things left. Number one what are some ideas or actions that you want to bring into 2024? What are some ideas or actions? You may have one. Maybe your one action is you are going to start moving every day, whether that's stretching, yoga, going for a walk, maybe that's five minutes of movement, whatever that is. I'm giving an example.
Speaker 1:My bringing into 2024 is more boundary setting, more events that are frictionless, more travel, lean into nature, and I also want to bring in learning how to not run away. I have this tendency of when I hold things in too long and then I explode and then I run as fast as I can. I don't know how to sit with uncertainty. I get really uncomfortable with sitting with the unknown, and I want to bring in 2024 kind of like space for myself to be able to speak truth more often and stick with it. I also have a tendency to backpedal. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you. I didn't mean to say that. I didn't mean to do this, when in reality, maybe I did. It just came out as an overcorrection. Right, like you did, I did a little bit too much. There was truth to it, but I did too much, so I kind of want to bring that in. I'm not sure how that's going to look, but that's just an example. Go ahead and press pause. All right, welcome back. I paused myself, which is funny because I don't need to do that.
Speaker 1:The last thing I want you to do in your journal is just write down every month starting from last January, so January, february, march, april, may, all the way through December. I want you to write down one awesome thing that you can remember that happened that month. Maybe you traveled, when camping, went to dinner with friends, whatever it is. Write down January through December and write down at least one awesome thing or one thing that just kind of brought joy to your heart from each of those months. If you're sitting here like I do not remember what happened, scroll back through your phone. I guarantee you have pictures from every single month. Scroll back through your phone and really look at each of those months and just write down one awesome thing. If you have more, please write more, but for now, just write one. Go ahead and do that.
Speaker 1:The last thing I want you to do after you have done all of your months is go back through the like, just look at them and either circle or highlight things that you're like wow, this is so amazing, this is so wonderful. And just think about what is a theme that you could come up with from 2023. I know my theme. I feel like this year is something around rebirth or grounding, something between those two, and that's just from everything that I have written down. After you have done all this, I just want you to reflect on looking at everything you wrote down on that page, everything from what was beautiful to what was hard, to the people that showed up in your life, what you're grateful for. Maybe a hard, what a hard lesson was what you want to bring in to 2024. And then what are like? Look back at those months and just look at how great things really are, how wonderful things are. Sitting in this dark time right now can really suck all the life and energy out of you, and I think it's so important to look back and think like wow. Even when things were hard, they were really beautiful. Even when things seemed quiet, they were so peaceful and beautiful. Even when I was in such uncertainty there was actually certainty all around. So I hope this helped a little bit. Maybe one or two people reflect back on their year and just think about how great things really were, even when we weren't sure.
Speaker 1:Every year is a chance to learn something new. And again we're going to the. What do all the memes say? The ultimate Sunday reset, 123, 123, closing out a seven year karmic turn of events, lessons, moving into something new. And remember you have every single opportunity to restart at any single point in your life, to restart anything. You want to be someone different, to be someone new, to try something new. All right, don't do too much. Continue sleeping, continue resting. Remember we are still in a quiet, dark, cold period of the year. So don't get crazy on starting new things. Maybe just use this time to plant seeds and when that sun starts to come out in that March, april time, you'll know when to launch.
Speaker 1:Don't be hard on yourself. Do not be cruel to yourself. Remember there's too much hate in this world and anger and frustration. Choose the opposite. Choose love, choose peace, go with what brings you joy and continue showing up for yourself. I appreciate you all being here. Have a wonderful New Year's. Get your sweatpants ready in your movie and your champagne or your tea or whatever it is you do, and just look around and celebrate, because you are still here and you're still breathing and you are still wonderful. Peace out. See you all soon.