12 Gifts of 2015

Year 2015 was a year of daily digital doodling. By the end of the year I did this recap over the year and seeked for the gifts that this amazing year had brought me.

January 2015

#1 “Commitment” 

In January I committed to draw 365 doodles this year and thought they would take me somewhere where my dreams come true. And of course they did – but taking those small steps every day WAS the dream already. That’s what it was all about. You don’t need to be somewhere to “be there” – You just need to act like you were there already and you will be – every moment! 

From now on I will believe in committing to my dreams and taking action. 

“Flow of Life” in the doodle refers to the life that “happens” to us – when we slip from our own path and get carried away with the expectations of others or beliefs that are rooted in us but don’t serve us. Committing to stay on our path makes us the authors of our life.

February 2015

#2 Finding a Tribe 

February brought me a gift of belonging to a group. This year begun with finding Kate Northrup’s fb group Money a Love Story. We did a three week #MoneyLoveChallenge together and it was amazing! The group was so loving, positive, supportive and respectful – I learned then that anything else is unnecessary. Nourishing the good in each other is enough! 

After that experience I founded my own group Mira(cle)Doodles and I am so happy it is the same. I love how we all behave there although world can be a rough place sometimes – We are able to bring love present and let us believe day by day more in it and how love supports us every step we take. 

Later this year I found yet another group – Konmari Adventures – for support of going through a decluttering process designed by Marie Kondo. That group was again the same. Joy sparking love and support! 

One of my tribes is kids. With them I always feel this – Love. And I feel blessed that there have always been little kids around me through work, family or friends. 

Our tribe doesn’t need to be bigger than a good friend or our spouse or family, but it sure feels good to hear and see and connect to likeminded people globally through social media – We are living beautiful times here on this planet! 

Basking in the light of a loving group is so very important!

March 2015

#3 Redefining Success 

Deepak Chopra’s and Oprah’s Meditation Challenge in March challenged me to rethink my definition on success. That was eye-opening! 

I realized that I am and always have been successfull beyond measure! What a relief!!! And remember that the feeling of relief is what Abraham-Hicks and many more are telling we should be after – that brings the flow of life and ease and everything we desire to us. 

So this will be my note for the days I feel like a loser.

April 2015

#4 Choosing Joy 

In April I begun “konmaring” my stuff. It’s a tidying up method by Marie Kondo (I read her book The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up). 

After years of studying about joy, law of attraction and all this – I realized soon that this was the final exam for me. 

I got a lot of great teachers around me (my belongings!) as I surrendered to go through my stuff item by item and feel if it brought me joy or not. Many didn’t. 

The change in me has been very deep and profound and is still happening as I learn choice by choice to choose what brings me joy in life. The biggest thing for me was to understand that I am allowed to discard all that doesn’t serve me now and doesn’t serve my vision. 

Phew, sounds so small written there – but it was BIG! 

Click here for more doodles about my journey with my stuff (Pinterest board).

May 2015

#5 Authenticity

In May I made a big decision.

I decided that I will pursue my dream and be the most authentic version of me that I possibly can. 

I felt lighter – a lot lighter – after making that decision. 

Knowing what you want and taking steps according to the path you want to walk on is empowering! 

June 2015

#6 Resiliency

It didn’t take long after the decision that my faith got tested. I decided to continue. I decided that I got all that I need to fulfill my dream. I realized that I must have even something more than enough – I’ve got wings! 

So I listened to my decision and kept on going. 

When struggle hits me I seldom see it as a struggle. But after the hard time is over I can see how hard it was. June was hard for me. Big things happening, but this is what I choose to see as the gift it gave me, the lesson June taught me. Struggle brings the biggest gifts to the surface.

July 2015

#7 Grace 

July was all about surrendering. And when I surrendered miracles started to happen. I was in awe a lot. The world was so full of beauty and so abundant. 

The hardship that slapped me in the face in June meant a big drop in my family’s income and I needed to re-evaluate everything I think about money, abundance and what I need. 

In July I found a next level of gratitude and that helped me surrender. The flow of life has always given me all I need. 

All was well and all is well. 

In syncronicity with my situation Deepak and Oprah offered their second Meditation Challenge in July “Grace Through Gratitude” – it was a huge help for me!

You can find the doodles I drew about the meditation challenge from my Pinterest board.

August 2015

#8 Letting Curiosity Lead 

Beautiful the gift which last August gave me. 

Today I understood it even deeper. Curiosity is what leads me away from the awe, gratitude and all that bliss that I sometimes find. I can see that it is our True nature – But I can also see that to be here on this journey called life, we may have a mission that’s more than that. 

When we reach happiness, awe and bliss, we have unlearned what we curiously started to study as babies – how to be human. But to make our journey deeper and more interesting we can let our curiosity lead us to new challenges and toward new lessons. Yay! To find new gems from the struggles and to make life really interesting! 

September 2015

#9 Enjoying the Journey 

In September we did another big leap of faith as a family. We wanted to see the autumn colors in Lapland. So we packed our car and filled it with cheap canned food. We had our tent ready and left for a one week journey! And we made it! 

The trip was awesome! We slept in the tent for four nights. It wasn’t yet freezing, but close, so the mornings were very damp. We met friends we haven’t seen in years and the whole trip was just miraculous with serendipitous lovely happenings one after another. 

It was a trip that really underlined that we need to do what our hearts desire – we will find a way, even without money! And enjoying the journey opens doors that you never even thought were existing! 

I doodled the whole trip on the photos I took and you can see all the road trip doodles in the Pinterest by clicking here. 

This photo was taken two days ago. There was this amazing shape sticking up from the ice puddle in our nearest forest – just gorgeous!

October 2015

#10 Learning To Receive Help 

In October I was offered help that was beyond anything I’ve ever received before. It got me ignited and started and resulted in my new website and felt like a miracle! I am forever grateful for it! 

Learning to receive has been much harder for me than what it is to give. But when you give, it comes back to you thousand times and at some point you have to say yes to it! 

    I just found these words from the wondrous world of the Googleland:    “If you send out goodness from yourself, or if you share that which is happy or good within you, it will all come back to you multiplied ten thousand times. In the kingdom of love there is no competition; there is no possessiveness or control. The more love you give away, the more love you will have.” (John O’Donohue, Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom)

I love that this year I’ve learned to receive so much more. I use to be a “No” person. If someone suggested something, I always said no first (I guess I needed to be in control…). They usually knew better, gave me time as I thought it over and finally answered “yes!” I still do that sometimes, but I am healing…

It is good to learn to say “YES!” to life!

November 2015

#11 Welcoming Love in Your Body 

The most of November I lied down in my sickbed with a bad cold. The gift what I found there lying under my blanket was a beautiful castle for love to live in. I remembered an exercise I heard long ago – many, many years ago – it was what sufi mystics do when they wake up. They touch their bodies from every part to call their soul back in. 

I started to do that first thing in the morning. I begin with my toes and ended with giving my ears a good rub (I used to do Indian head massage as a part time job for some years- so I mean, it really wakes me up!!) 

The effects have been wonderful!! The first weeks I started to feel more alive and sensual. Then I began to find boundaries like never before. With all that has been happening in my life this year this exercise seems to nail it. I have stepped into my power on a totally new level holding hands with my mind, body and heart. 

Have you tried this exercise? How has it affected your life?

December 2015

#12 Rewriting Your Story 

December is only half way through, but I wanted to draw this final gift already – in celebration of the beautiful journey that it was to reflect on this year with the intention of finding gems from each month.

This is truly about OWNING our story – this is about becoming co-authors of our life with Love. 

There is no need to bury any of the lessons, there is always a gem waiting to be revealed in all our experiences in life. 

This exercise of looking for the gifts of the year emphasised the necessity of the process of looking for treasures that we can find when we dig through, shine some light on and uncover the scenes in which we were involved during the year.

I say it’s necessary, because if we keep the old stories hidden and buried, they consume our energy – for nothing – We can turn them into stories that empower us instead!

For the next couple of years I ran an online course where I guided others to find the gifts of their year. Sign up to my free monthly update to stay tuned if you are interested in when I ran this course again, or better yet – Send me a message so I’ll know this is something You would want to do!

All these doodles and stories were first posted in my previous blog in December 2015.