Pair the word “new” with just about anything and you totally have my attention….NEW year. NEW week. NEW idea. NEW opportunity. NEW friend. NEW vision. NEW chapter. NEW baby. NEW puppy. NEW York City (just had to…that’s where I am as I write this!!).
I spent so many years fearing and avoiding change. After following a long and winding road, I’m finally learning how to embrace change. I’ve come to understand how incredibly refreshing, energizing, and transformative stepping into the NEW really is. I have come to love the opportunity of a fresh start!!
I’ve never been big on New Year’s resolutions, mainly because I’ve been wildly unsuccessful with achieving the lofty, unrealistic goals I set for myself in the past. I usually hit the ground running in early January and by late February, in a good year, I had already forgotten my New Year’s resolutions.
Detach from the end goal
I’ve learned to re-frame expectations I set for myself by running my intentions through the filter of personal growth.
Rather than establish and fixate on an end goal or desired outcome, I often detach from the outcome, embark on a certain trajectory, and see where it takes me.
It’s a delicate balance between holding on and letting go. My strategy is to build upon and refine what I accomplished the day before, and as long as there is measurable progress, I’m happy. When we keep our minds and our hearts open to where the journey takes us, we open ourselves up to the infinite number of possibilities the universe has in store for us. This mentality is a lot more forgiving and supporting and motivating, and the process of becoming is sooooo much sweeter.
9 ideas to shape your new reality for 2020
—Take inventory of your life and be honest with yourself about your level of fulfillment in each area (career, relationships, fun/leisure, health and wellness, finance, spirituality, etc)
—Create space for the new. Declutter…our living spaces, our minds, etc. Let go of what no longer serves you and make the necessary healthy disconnections. Not everyone and everything that was in our lives one day or one week or one month ago is meant to stay forever. Life is a revolving door of people and experiences and lessons, and we need to learn that some of these have expiration dates.
—Ditch the comparison mindset. Don’t worry about what everyone else has or is doing. Do you.
—Consider choosing an overarching “theme” for the year. For example, achieving peace, strengthening interpersonal relationships, simplification, etc. Each week you could choose some activities that support those intentions.
—Think about the underlying motivating factors driving the desired change. Are they driven by intrinsic or extrinsic factors? Anchor on the FEELING you aspire to achieve.
—For any goals still lingering from prior years, can you identify any barriers that prevented you from achieving them, and what can be done to overcome them?
—Focus on the JOURNEY not the destination. Rather than establishing a questionably achievable and somewhat arbitrary goal, how about setting an intention and making daily choices that support that intention? Here’s an example…replace “I want to lose 10 pounds” with “I want to live a holistic lifestyle”. This shifts your focus from the destination to the JOURNEY, which is where the magic happens. This allows you to release expectations and immerse yourself in the present moment. Each day, you will make mindful and conscious choices that support that intention. You can start off each day by asking yourself “What will I do today to support my intention?”
—Pick something from your “someday” list. We all have one. It’s that list of things we’d eventually like to get to, after some external condition is met….When life gets easier. When I’m not as busy. When I retire. When my kids are older. Don’t wait. There will never be a perfect time and you will probably never feel fully ready, so pick something and just start.
—Revisit your list from time to time to ensure that your goals are still realistic and achievable in the context of current circumstances. In between working on your goals, life happens, and you and your well-intentioned goals need to be met with grace, compassion, understanding, and flexibility.
My New Year’s resolutions
And in the spirit of being totally transparent (and authentic, of course ) here are some of mine (the concise version):
- Focus on activities that continually raise my vibration (everything comes to us THROUGH us…we attract what we are so what is meant for us will be ours when we become a vibrational match)
- Publish my book
- Read two new books per month
- Spartan BEAST
- Marathon
- Maintain “Level up” mentality…all day, every day. More on that later.
2020 I’m comin’ for ya!!!! Let’s make this our best year yet!