Little Things To Inspire You This Week: Reflection 🤝 Action
#28, December 30th: On blending reflection with action to set realistic goals
Hello and welcome to the laziest week of the year! I hope you’ve had time for rest, connecting with loved ones, and cozying up on the couch with movies (scroll down for recommendations).
My birthday is two weeks before the year ends, which naturally gets me thinking about goals — butttttt, since it’s only two weeks until the rest of the world sets their goals, I get to spend two weeks reflecting before taking action. Why change everything on December 18, when January 1st is right around the corner?
Of course, not everything changes on January 1st, either. There’s a reason why when we’ve done The Artist’s Way together the past two years, we’ve started the last week in January or the first week in February. We need time to reflect and for our truest goals to naturally emerge. The realistic ones we are seriously committed to, instead of a long, cursory list of how we’d like to complete transform without putting in the work.
We often rush toward resolutions, but true, attainable goals can’t be set without reflection. So let’s take some time for honest reflection on how we participate in both holding ourselves back and pushing ourselves forward, and how we want to show up for ourselves next year. Can you sit in stillness and gently ask: What do I truly want in my life, and how am I taking responsibility to make it happen? What is my role in where I am? Once we have a genuine sense of that, we can position ourselves to take action.
MOVIES AT HOME
There is no better week of the year to cozy up at home and watch movies, and luckily for all of us, there are some great ones available on streaming services you may already have. Here are some of my favorites you can watch right now:
Kneecap (Netflix) — This Irish language film is funny, bursting with energy, and has a lot to say. An outstanding directorial debut and debut acting from its leads — the actual Irish rap group Kneecap — it’s shortlisted for the Academy Awards for Best International Film and Best Original Song.
Thelma (Hulu) — You cannot go wrong curling up on the couch with this funny and heartwarming film. If you’re still with your family for the holidays, it’s perfect to watch with your parents (unlike Kneecap… depending on your family.)
Will & Harper (Netflix) — This made me fall in love with Will Farrell and his longtime friend and writing partner Harper, who undergoes a late-in-life transition. A poignant road-trip film about friendship and self-love.
Daddio (Netflix) — Such good writing it will make you jealous! It's a contained film that’s more like a play but the characters are well-developed and perfectly slow-rolled.
My Old Ass (Amazon) — Genuinely funny and captures both Gen Z hope and millennial disappointment so well. And it nails the ending.
THIS SCREENWRITING LIFE EPISODE 219
This episode not only explores how to best activate your protagonists but also how to create agency in your own life — even getting into today’s themes of reflection and goal setting. Writing inactive protagonists can be reflective of not feeling in control of your own life, so learning to be more proactive can quite literally improve your writing!
END-OF-YEAR GIVING
One of the best ways to wrap up the year is by donating to a cause you’re passionate about. Some of my donations have gone to the LA Public Library, The International Rescue Committee, The ACLU, Doctors Without Borders, and the Environmental Defense Fund.
Another way to donate is to look for creative projects you can support directly. I donated to my friend
’s pilot project, $hare. If you’re looking to support an emerging female filmmaker with a wonderful story to tell, check out her excellent pilot here.
To support today’s theme, I’ve made you a gift: Your very own journaling sheet full of reflective prompts to explore.
Reflect on your 2024 by downloading and filling out the PDF below.
The PDF journal gives you space to reflect on what you accomplished this year, what struggles you’ve learned from, what you’re grateful for, what you want to do differently in 2025, and more.
“Let us believe in a long year that is given to us new, untouched, full of things that have never been, full of work that has never been done.”
— Rainer Maria Rilke
Join me in Nosara, Costa Rica for a week-long writing and Yoga retreat this May. Give yourself the gift of deep relaxation, creative rejuvenation, community, adventure, and rest.
Explore the website here or email writeandflow@gmail.com to start registration. $100 early-bird discounts apply until January 1st, and paying subscribers get $150 off (since I paused my membership this fall, I’ll count anybody who was a paying subscriber any time in 2024 or anybody who wants to start a 2025 membership).
These retreats are always one of the most joyful and fulfilling parts of my year, and you can read testimonials from former attendees right here.
This newsletter was on pause for a few months, so if you don’t remember what it is, you can read more about Little Things and why you subscribed right here.
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jeepers aint we privileged,. i'm stuck in a second floor apartment where i cant manage the stairs and walker by myself with no chance of having a life until neurodivergent partner gets their shit together.
Absolutely loved Will & Harper and I felt the same way…what a beautiful friendship between them and it was awesome to see Will Ferrel so vulnerable. Happy New Year, Ali! ♥️