As we close in on the year end it’s a great opportunity to reflect, give thanks, and re-calibrate for the year ahead. Here are some of the things that I’ve learned, enjoyed and written this year. I hope you find it useful.
2021 has been another challenging year for us all. More lives have been lost and many people continue to suffer. Just as we thought we were heading out of the pandemic, we were pulled right back into another lockdown.
It’s been tough, not having an end in sight, but many people have found this to be the wake up call that they needed. To slow down, to be more independent, to follow their hearts, to look after themselves, to help others in need and to stop doing things that make them so miserable.
In the depths of a crises, we see things more vividly.
Notes from 2021
I’ve had a solid year with Ten Bulls, nothing mind blowing, but slow and steady progress. Reading and writing have guided me through the lockdowns and I’ve found a nice little groove to the practice.
Whenever I’m not writing well, I go for a walk, stretch a little, and the words start to flow again.
Here’s a quick review of 2021:
- Read some great books including, The Mindful Athlete by George Mumford, Meditation: The First and Last Freedom by Osho and Building Resilience in Children and Teens by Kenneth R Ginsburg.
- Wrote 100 articles. My goal was to spend the first year simply writing, while I got to the root of what Ten Bulls is all about. Limiting social media has been great for productivity and even better for the soul.
- Migrated the website to a new host to improve performance and security. The old host has served me pretty well for years, but unfortunately they’ve gone right down the tubes of late. Load times are much quicker now, so it’s more enjoyable to read and to navigate.
- Took a photography trip to the Outer Hebrides, off the west coast of Scotland, with some of my oldest and dearest friends. The Isle of Harris was the high point, swimming in cool Scottish waters, along pristine beaches. I highly recommend a visit.
- Spent half the year in Japan. The culture, the lifestyle and the food are remarkable, and that repositioning from Britain to Asia stretches my mind beyond many of its limitations.
- Experienced a stint in a quarantine hotel. Interesting!
- Continued with my meditation and movement practice. I’ve even added some football (keep-ups) into the mix for focus, co-ordination and timing.
Essential reads from 2021
As Ten Bulls is only a year old I’ve been focussed on covering the fundamentals of meditation, mindfulness and flow. That is, after all, what this site is all about.
Here are the most essential posts of the year:
- Meditation: A Beginner’s Guide
- Mindfulness: A Beginner’s Guide
- Mastering the Flow State
- How to get in the zone
- How to form a habit
And here are a few for those who need extra help during the pandemic:
I’ll be using the next few weeks to read, journal and enjoy a quiet Christmas. I hope you have a fantastic festive season and I’ll see you in 2022.
Thanks for your support this year.
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