I want to wish you happiness, health, and success.

I want to wish you all the best in the year ahead.

I want to tell you to focus more on good vibes and less on stress…to fill your year with laughter, love, and new adventures.

I want this year to bring you new opportunities, growth, and treasured memories.

But I can’t.

The only thing I keep thinking about is how often we underestimate slowing down and focus on constant motion. I hope you know that if you slow down, you will achieve all of the above—and more.

This year, I hope you’re not afraid of stillness and what it might bring to the surface. I hope you make friends with the constant chatter in your mind and the uncomfortable truths that might be too loud. I hope you move with them, dance with them, and laugh with them.

I hope you know that speed doesn’t mean efficiency and success doesn’t mean motion. Busyness doesn’t reinforce your sense of self-worth. It diminishes it and moves you away from your core values and strengths.

So this year, I hope you slow down.

I hope you look outside when you wake up in the morning and forget about your screens. I hope you accept that you can’t plan your day; you can only live it…slowly, mindfully, beautifully.

I hope you don’t forget your hot cup of tea then toss it an hour later. May you take it with you wherever you go because that cup of tea is your anchor…it’s your happiness.

This year, I hope you really slow down.

I hope you prioritize simple things like making your bed, staying two more minutes in the shower, and staring into space. I hope you know what can be postponed and what can’t. I hope you practice saying “it can wait” when something’s not urgent and “I can do this” when something’s pressing.

I hope you enjoy every day and stop waiting for a particular season. Move with the cycles of nature. Survive cold temperatures. Reawaken with the spring. Regrow your inner leaves. Shine in summer.

This year, I hope you genuinely slow down.

I hope you don’t feel guilty about resting. May you stop rushing and multitasking. May you use your senses to ground yourself because mindfulness will keep you alive.

I hope you smell the salty sea breeze and the fresh, crisp air of the forest. I hope you stop for a moment to appreciate the simple, “silly” things around you—an unusual cloud, a rare flower, a full moon, the sound of a hyena at dusk, a bird chirping, or sunlight peeking through the clouds.

This year, I hope you really, really slow down.

I hope you eat real food and make some time for cooking. I hope you appreciate your kitchen and the aromas you can create it with its ingredients.

I hope you fall in love with your living room and garden—just as they are. May you accept their messiness because it’s okay if they’re messy. It means you’re slowing down, trusting your own flow, and being okay with how the world looks around you.

This year, I hope you stop.

I hope you stop judging yourself and your achievements. I hope you stop taking life seriously and release control. May you treat your responsibilities lightly and accept failures. I want you to let go of perfect outcomes because nothing will ever be perfect. Things will remain imperfect and you will remain unhappy until you accept that life is a playful journey that requires a light, flexible mindset.

I hope you realize that January isn’t the beginning and December isn’t the end. July isn’t the best month of the year and August is not your friend. I hope you love yourself—and life—every single day, every single month.

This year, I hope you slow down.

This is your sign to slow down.

Because you should.

~