Setting Intentions for 2024 | A Year-End Reflection

089. As the holiday glitter settles and we approach the year's end, I invite you to join me in reflection. With a powerful end-of-year journal prompt,  we reminisce over the victories and lessons of 2023 and steer our hearts toward the promises of 2024.

It's all about peering inward, reassessing our growth journey, and setting intentions that resonate with our deepest aspirations for the year to come.

With a candid openness, I share my musings on the future direction of this podcast at this pivotal juncture.  My kid's YouTube Channel has been taking off and it's caused me to evaluate where I spend my time. As I navigate the swift changes in my life and creative endeavors, the possibility of a new venture looms on the horizon—one that aligns with our mutual passion for growth, creativity, and living a life filled with intention.

We close one chapter together and anticipate the excitement of potential new creative landscapes, cherishing the memories we've forged and the community we've built right here on the Marijanel Show.

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✷ Music →By Marijanel and Norm Strauss

Transcript

Marijanel: 0:00

Take deep looks inside of your soul. As we near 2024 and we're in that limbo space between Christmas and New Year's, you know that space where we've all eaten too much chocolate and cheese, we've got our tummy aches. We're a little bit tired of family, though we don't want to admit it. We're tired of people in our space, us introverts. We like to be alone. I encourage you to get alone. Get alone with your thoughts, get alone with your journal. Really begin to reflect on what's behind you in 2023, what went right, what went wrong, what you want to do different. As, particularly in your own heart, in the depths of your soul, what changes are you making in growing yourself whole? And then looking forward in 2024, what do you hope for it to be? What areas of your life are you focusing on in this coming year? This is the Marijanel Show, where we talk about living whole and creative and we journal the process together. Hello and Marijane to the Janelle show.

Marijanel: 1:02

If you're seeing me here on YouTube, I am wearing my pink coral colored vest that I wear when I star over on the MJ and Missy May YouTube channel, which is my kids channel. That has taken off way faster than I thought it would. I started posting over there about three weeks ago and one of my videos already is pushing 30,000 views and the subscribers are climbing every day, and I'm so excited about it. I already recorded a podcast that should be airing right now. It was a podcast that was just really formal and full of great information that was going to take us into the year of 2024, closing off 2023 so properly. And then I've just decided to shelf it, to park that podcast and to come on here a little more spontaneously in my new superstar, get up my handy, dandy little vest, which I star with Missy May, my puppet, over there on the kids channel, and just get really real with you guys here for a minute, because this is the ending of season two for the Marijanel Show, the beginning of a new season, and I need to tell you that every single day I go back and forth of what I really want to do with this show. I go back and forth because I'm not ready to stop what we've started here and at the same time, the trajectory of my life has been changing rapidly this past autumn and I've been trying, in a sense, to keep up with giving news on the show of how things are going. And yet I don't feel that the Mary Janelle show is supposed to be a news show about Marijanel. It's supposed to be a show where we grow and live whole and creative together in both our personal and professional lives, growing in our confidence, our self worth and in all things that are good and wholesome, growing forward together. And that has been the purpose and heart of the show.

Marijanel: 3:12

Since I switched from sharing my memoir cast, which was the first intention of the season one, and I have to say that, as I like near season three here and I've wanted to shift gears in a talking about creativity, I do have a hold back. My hold back is that currently in my life, I'm demonstrating creativity. My creative life has become very busy. It's a different season than when I first started this particular podcast. I'm in a whole new realm of life and at times I wonder if I can even keep up to the demands of both this podcast and what is happening in my creative world. I also feel that in order to truly honor what is happening in my creative world, I need to have a podcast that's solely focused on creativity. I've shared that with you a couple of episodes ago, and I know that I could take all of you listeners along on that journey, because I believe every single person is creative and we all have hobbies and interests, but where I want to dive and where I want to go with my creative content, I'm not sure, truthfully, honestly, is suitable for this particular audience.

Marijanel: 4:27

You, you, you listeners, I think, okay, I've taken you on some wild rides through the Marijanel show. We've explored all kinds of content. I can either go with you to brand new places that maybe some of you will drop off, you won't be interested in anymore, or I keep true to what we've started here, even if I have to post less and start another channel that hits it hard with new niche and content. And so I've really been going back and forth, deliberating on what the best strategy is, because when I say I care about you, I do, and even if this channel and this podcast don't ever have as many views or listens as what's happening in my creative world in another place, I care about what I've started here and I don't want to finish it until I feel like I've come to a full resolution like I have resolved what I need to do. And I don't feel that yet and at the same time, I'm not entirely sure where to go.

Marijanel: 5:28

So I am here to say that this podcast might be a once a month posting when I have something really meaningful to share. It might still continue biweekly, and I may end up sharing some of my creative content here because it feels right and I am a show about living whole and creative. Meanwhile, I am being very mindful and sensitive to the fact that we've started something here, particularly in the area of journaling and growing ourselves whole, that I don't want to neglect and I don't want to shift and change tracks as far as topics are concerned until I finished what I've been called to do here on this show in this season, and so, as much as I'm raring to go into creative content, I am actually feeling and leaning more into the idea that I'll start another show solely dedicated to that. And here on this show, I'm going to continue to encourage you, yes, in being whole and creative, but let's keep on focusing on the whole aspect, even if it means I post a little less here. So, to sum it up, I want to stay encouraging you to take deep looks inside of your soul as we near 2024 and we're in that limbo space between Christmas and New Year's, you know, that space where we've all eaten too much chocolate and cheese, we got our tummy aches. We're a little bit tired of family, though we don't want to admit it. We're tired of people in our space. As introverts, we like to be alone. I encourage you to get along. Get along with your thoughts, get along with your journal.

Marijanel: 7:08

Really begin to reflect on what's behind you in 2023, what went right, what went wrong, what you want to do different, as, particularly in your own heart, in the depths of your soul, what changes are you making in growing yourself whole and then looking forward into 2024, what do you hope for it to be? What areas of your life are you focusing on in this coming year? For me I've already named it, I said a few episodes ago it's going to be the realm of creativity. And in that realm, if, if you're a journey with me and being whole and creative, you could ask yourself the question what would it look like for me to live my most whole and creative life in the year of 2024? What would that look like? Could you paint that picture visually or verbally, or written down? What would? What would your life look like living the most whole and creative life possible, like dream big. Go to those God sized dreams. What would that look like in the year of 2024 ahead of you? What would you need to do? How would you need to be, how would you need to readjust some things in your life?

Marijanel: 8:19

That's my big reflection as we near the end of the year and that's sort of my update on the twists and turns of what's happening with the show. You all have been with me in real time as I've discovered my voice, learned my message, honed in on some things that really matter to me and been able to tell my story and branch out into new forms of mentorship and content creation. Really, and you mean so much to me. Meanwhile, I know that I need to be very specific and intentional about what I do with this show, because things are kind of exploding over in kids YouTube land, like you should really hop over there and see what's happening on my channel. It's really fun and, as I mentioned a few episodes back, I have God sized dreams that are that pertain to this, that of talents and things that I need to use, that are are. It's not just passions that are burning in me, it's things that are actually starting to happen. There's traction happening and things going on that I just need to jump on board and be fully immersed and focused.

Marijanel: 9:27

Meanwhile, I have these other things that matter to me, like the Marijanel Show and podcasting with you, and so I have to, as part of, like me, growing forward, what does it mean for me to look to be the most whole and creative in the year 2024? What does that mean? I feel like I have to let go a little. Now, back in the summer, when I went through burnout phase and I said I had to let go, in the sense like I had to go from weekly to bi-weekly, that was a letting go. Now it's like even more of a letting go and I asked myself does letting go mean closing the show? And it really doesn't. We're not meant to close the show yet.

Marijanel: 10:07

The season isn't done and I know that in my heart that there's more here. There's more here. It just might be like less frequent and more like when I have something burning to share that I need to show up and share, and I do feel that there's something that there's unfinished work in the realm of journaling, and yet my focus is totally somewhere else now, because that's how I operate, that's how I work. I don't like let the grass grow under my feet for long, and so I, what I need to do is take a pause, take a breath and really evaluate, and that might take me Q1. Like that might take me three months. And am I okay with that?

Marijanel: 10:48

I come here and I share with you about timing and seasons and being like. I have that entire episode dedicated to understanding the two Greek names for time, chronos and Kairos, and how we can live outside of being on the demands of the clock, and I need to take some of that time away from the clock just a season of time and really know and understand what I'm doing with the show. So, with that being said, as we near the end of 2023 and the Marijanel is gonna take a new form in 2024, just know it's gonna surprise us all. I'm gonna be just as surprised as you, and so, thanks for being here along this ride, hop over and see what I'm doing with the children's content creation. I think it's gonna be really interesting to you, especially those of you who have children, and I do need to say this that part of what I'm really developing and what I've been writing about as of late, has been developing creativity in children, being the ones to empower the creativity of children. Does that fit in the content of the Marijanel Show? No, it hasn't, although I know many of you are parents.

Marijanel: 12:00

If any of what I'm saying is resonating like stuff you wanna hear right on this platform, please reach out to me. Now is the time to do so. Tell me what it is that has perked and piqued your interest, and then, meanwhile, I just have to continue this path of writing and developing in the areas that light me up. I've said time and again, we have to go to our place of shine, we have to be in our place of confidence Some will call it your place of genius To operate in your genius in that place, and that's happening for me right now in realms that are outside of this show, and so I have to go with it and then just be at peace, knowing that this show is going to become and be what it's meant to be, and when it's time to conclude it and resolve it, I'll know it, but it's not yet. I'm gonna push forward into season three and see what evolves, and it's gonna surprise us all. Let's all go with that beautiful surprise. Let that be what's ringing in our hearts and ears as we bring in 2024. That what's around the corner is a wonderful surprise. That reminds me of my children's book Wait, darling, wait. Where chicken is on her nest with a big surprise. The animals are very impatient. They're asking her what are you waiting for? Why are you just sitting there? And chicken says wait, darling, wait, something good is going to happen.

Marijanel: 13:29

I continually live out the children's book that I authored and illustrated. I continually live out the message and, by the way, I wanna say a big shout out and thank you to all the parents and caregivers that were texting and messaging me over Christmas as your little ones, those chubby little hands and adorable big guys, were opening that book and being so excited about the book. Thank you, it melted and warmed my heart all at once Melt and warm and ooey gooey, kind of like fondue cheese that I ate way too much of on Christmas day. Thank you so much for purchasing the book from Amazon, leaving a review, gifting it to someone you love, and I wanna thank you in advance for all the years you're gonna wear out those pages reading it to little ones. Can you tell what lights me up? I need to go do what lights me up.

Marijanel: 14:18

Today I've been recording a Missy May Hedgehog video where she's learning how to pronounce the letters of the alphabet. So hop over there and check out what's going on. But meanwhile, know that you're loved and blessed and creative and on a journey of becoming wholehearted, and that wholeheartedness is what we're all pushing forward towards. Don't forget the journal prompts I gave you earlier. Ask yourself what would it look like for me to live the most whole and creative in the year 2024? Journal it out and I will see you next time as I get clarity and be surprised with what's around the corner. All of my links are below. Find me, send me a little message. I'd love to hear from you. And meanwhile, happy new year. I'm gonna be posting a new year blessing right here for you, so keep your eyes and ears peeled for that and until next time, keep on living whole and creative.