Advent Resolutions: Tips to Ring in the New Church Year

Hey wonderful people and happy new year! At this point, you may be wondering why I’m wishing you a happy new year…in November. I mean, when last we checked, we are still in 2021 (or, as I like to call it, 2020 the sequel). However, for Roman Catholics, a new liturgical year begins on the first Sunday of Advent (which was yesterday). You see, our church has divided the year into liturgical seasons: Advent, Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent and Easter. Each season has its own focus and symbolism, and I absolutely love it. I mean, it not only allows me to celebrate Christmas longer (for us, it lasts more than a day, and who wouldn’t want more Christmas, right?), but it serves as a reminder to me that life itself has different seasons. So we ring in the new church year with the season of Advent. Even if you’re not Roman Catholic, it is also a new month (which is also a new beginning), plus, there’s no time like the present to renew and deepen your relationship with God.

Advent is a season of joyful preparation for the coming of Jesus Christ, at Christmas, at the end of time (and the end of our individual lives), and even in our day-to-day existence. I view this as an opportunity; just as we deep clean our homes to prepare for Christmas, we could also try to clean our hearts. But it’s so much more than just that. Jesus comes to us every day, in many different ways, but sometimes, we don’t see Him. Maybe we are too distracted, or busy, or our eyes are out of focus so we don’t recognize Him (like the disciples on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection). Or maybe we miss Him because He shows up in an unexpected (or even undesirable) place, (like a stable with animals, instead of, say, a kingly palace). We have a chance to begin again; to ask God to clear the planks from our eyes, so that we can see Jesus where He comes to us. We can make room for Him in our hearts and clear our minds so we can discern the guidance that that Holy Spirit provides. We can even ask for presents: the gifts of the Holy Spirit, a greater sense of the daily presence of God in our lives and help with our (and our loved ones’) struggles. We can look for, and love, Jesus in our neighbours (which, I’ll admit, is hard for me sometimes…some “neighbours” aren’t exactly easy to love).

This may sound corny, but I’m a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, so I thought that, this year, I could make some spiritual new year’s resolutions as part of my Advent experience. Let’s call them “Advent Resolutions.” They’re somewhat like a hybrid: part spiritual new year’s resolution, part Christmas preparation (in the spirit of the Advent season). Bear in mind, though, that before making any resolutions or firm decisions, we should spend some time in prayer, reflection, and self-examination. So are some suggestions for Advent resolutions:

1. Grow in virtue: Choose one virtue that you think you need to improve. In your daily prayer, ask God for growth in this virtue. Do some research: look for bible verses, spiritual books, or stories of the saints relating to your chosen virtue, to inspire and guide you. Come up with a plan on how you could develop and/or incorporate the practice of this virtue in your day-to-day living.
2. Renew your commitment to “that” spiritual practice: You know which practice I mean…the one that you keep intending to do, but haven’t (I have a few of these). Now is the time to renew your commitment to it. But don’t stop there: plan. Don’t just say “I want to do spiritual reading every day,” but decide when, and for how long, and even choose which book you would like to start with. Look for any resources that could help you. For example, I wanted to include more meditative prayer daily, and a good friend of mine introduced me to the “Pray as You Go” app which has daily meditations on the readings from daily Mass. I downloaded the app, and now, praying through that meditation is an enjoyable part of my morning prayer. (This was after months of me trying, and failing, at meditating).
3. Participate in an online retreat: In the midst of a pandemic, where restrictions are constantly being shifted and we may not be able to physically gather, technology can help. Several websites offer free, virtual advent retreats (like praymorenovenas).
4. Do some spiritual housekeeping (otherwise known as the Sacrament of Reconciliation). Spend some time before doing a deep examination of conscience. Open up to God and allow Him to see all of the bad tendencies you want to hide. Sometimes I feel like hiding the less-than-savoury parts of my innermost being from God, which quite frankly, is a stupid idea. God is even more well-acquainted with those parts than I am (He is all-knowing, after all), so hiding from Him makes zero sense. I usually feel so much lighter and better able to avoid falling into serious sin after a good confession.
5. Read: Of course, a bookworm would include a suggestion that involves reading. Read the bible, or the daily readings. Find a good religious book (or religious articles) about Advent. Read from the book of the prophet Isaiah – to me, he is the ultimate Christmas prophet. I’m actually planning to read through Isaiah for Advent this year. I want to really immerse myself in the experience that Israelites had in waiting for the Messiah and in the promises God made to His people while they waited.
6. Review: Sit with God and yourself and go over the last year. What have you done well? Where have you improved? Where would you have liked to have done better? What blessings have you received? What struggles have you gone through? What was your spiritual journey like? Be honest with yourself and with God.
7. Be open and trust God: Cultivate an attitude of openness to God. Rest in the arms of a loving Father who delights in you, accepts you and loves you unconditionally.
8. Find creative ways to cultivate connection and kindness. We may not be able to be physically close to others because of the pandemic, but we can engage them and show care in other ways: praying for them, reaching out via phone call or a message, dropping a present or some groceries, supporting events that give to the less fortunate etc.
9. Make your own Advent wreath or Jesse Tree…or both! I think that sometimes having visible symbols in our immediate surroundings can serve as great reminders. These are also practices that you can get your whole family involved in!
10. Carry it forward. Every week at Mass when the corresponding candle is lit, we are called to reflect on a different virtue: hope, love, joy and peace. We can take the theme that that candle represents forward, into the rest of the week. You can reflect on it, read about it, practice it, pray for an increase in it…just try to take it with you.

I hope you find these suggestions helpful. Of course, this list is certainly not exhaustive, so feel free to share you own suggestions.

This year, like last year, has been a struggle for many of us. I hope that this season of Advent offers us a fresh start and fills us up with the hope and renews the faith we so desperately need if we are to make it through these difficult times.

Peace, love and sparkles,

The Unicorn of Awesomeness.

Choosing the Right Planner for You: Unicorn-Approved Tips

Hello friends! If you’re a person who loves stationery and/or planning/scheduling your time (like me), you may have noticed that stores (both online and physical) are stocked up with planners for next year (yay!). Although I enjoy seeing the variety of planners available (because variety means options), I’ll admit that it can also be overwhelming. I’m also like Goldilocks when it comes to my planner (minus the house-breaking): it has to be just right! So if you’d like some unicorn-approved tips and questions to ask yourself when selecting your new planner, here they are:

Do you prefer digital or pen-and-paper planners? Some people prefer to have their planner entirely virtual, while others prefer ye good old pen-and-paper. You could also use a combination of both digital and pen and paper. (It’s easy to use something like Google calendar to keep track of events that are fairly far ahead or occur yearly.)

How structured do you want your planner to be? You can buy a very structured planner or you can look into bullet journaling, where you basically design your own. You can also consider getting an undated planner so if you miss a month (life happens), you can just label the blank pages to suit.

To what level of detail do you like to plan? Do you like to plan every hour or do you prefer to be more flexible? Do you just want to keep track of when you have major events/chores as a reminder? Do you prefer to have a mixture of both planning and some flexibility? Some planners (like monthly planners) are better for less detailed planning, and some are more suited for planning daily (or even hourly).

How much space do you need in each planning section? This is related to the question above; if you’re a weekly planner then you need weekly spreads with a lot of space. If you like to plan each day out, you need enough space to write in each day. You can also consider if you’d prefer to have spaces that are lined or unlined.

What size would be most convenient to you? Do you need a small planner that you can slip into your handbag? Do you want something larger than can fit into a briefcase/portfolio?

What kind of special features do you want? Planners nowadays can be very simple or have all sorts of bells and whistles. Are you into goal setting? Then you can look for a planner that includes a monthly/weekly goal setting/priority list. Are you into developing and keeping good habits? Some planners include habit trackers, which may help you when you’re introducing new habits. Some planners also include features for budgeting, mood check-ins (for mental health), notes or a folder for small documents/bills/business cards etc. Some planners also come with sticker sheets (this gets a huge yay from me).

What’s your style?: These tips/questions wouldn’t be unicorn-approved if I didn’t include something about the cuteness factor and making sure your planner reflects, well, you! If you’re going to look at your planner on a regular basis, it may as well be something that you enjoy looking at and that reflects you! So whether your style is minimal, cutesy, whimsical, floral, feminine, eclectic, bold, edgy, sophisticated or fun, try to find a planner that reflects that. I’m a firm believer that things can be both functional and cute.

I hope you found this post helpful! If you have any tips or other questions that help you to select a planner for you, feel free to share! Happy new-planner-season!

Peace, love and sparkles,

The Unicorn of Awesomeness.

Helpful Tools for Lifelong Learners

During my undergraduate university life, the thought of studying for the rest of my life was daunting. This was probably because I didn’t really connect to my field of study back then. As I grew older (ahem, less young and more mature), I came to understand that learning doesn’t end with university. Even more importantly, learning is not limited to whatever your field of study was; you can choose to learn more about, well, anything (yay internet!). I’ve often seen lifelong learning listed as a habit of successful people. I can definitely say that quite a bit of what I’ve learnt has benefitted me and improved my life in some way. Continuous learning and growth are both very unicornesque habits.

Here are some virtual (and some are free too!) tools I’ve found to be quite useful in my journey of lifelong learning:

1. Coursera: This website has quite a few free university courses from around the world. Now, hear me out: there are all kinds of courses. I’ve done courses that were related to my career, hobbies and even personal development. Perhaps one of the most helpful courses I took was “The Science of Wellbeing,” from Yale University. It really helped me to improve my mental health this year.

2. Audible: This app is all about audiobooks and podcasts. It’s great for people who may not have time to sit and read a physical book (or don’t have space to keep a million books). The podcasts are also great. The “Start Here” podcast from Mel Robbins is filled with very practical self-help tips.

3. Spotify: This app is also great for podcasts. Honestly, I like to listen to them in the morning while I’m making breakfast or getting ready. You can listen to them on your way to work, or while taking a walk…there are some great ones out there.

4. Duolingo: I find it amazing how I’ve allowed this little green owl to pressure me into a daily study habit. Whether you want to learn a new language, or brush up on a foreign language you used to study, this app is amazing. I appreciate that it allows you to set a daily goal (which can be big or small) and it reminds you…daily (hence the pressure).

5. Google Word Coach: So, if you want to improve your vocabulary, this is a fun way to do it. It’s essentially a series of short word quizzes.

6. Pinterest: Okay, I may appear to be reaching with this one, but I promise I’m not. I’ve learned a lot from Pinterest: new recipes, new hairstyles, new ways of styling my clothes and even new makeup looks. Are you tired of eating the same old things? Just go on Pinterest and search for recipes involving the main ingredient (“black bean recipes,” “avocado recipes,”) etc.

7. Instagram, Facebook and Youtube: I can almost see your quizzical facial expressions. You can control your social media experience to a large extent, in that you can choose who you follow. I’ve learned a lot by following thought leaders and self-improvement speakers, religious leaders and speakers,intuitive eating nutritionists, body positive influencers, mental health pages, beauty influencers and even food pages. It’s all up to you.

I hope you found this list useful. Feel free to comment (respectfully of course) and share any other lifelong learning tools you like, that I may not have mentioned here.

Peace, love and sparkles

The Unicorn of Awesomeness