New Year Reflections.
NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS…
NEW YEAR, SAME HABITS.
NEW YEAR, SAME PERSPECTIVE.
NEW YEAR, SAME YOU.
Everybody gets so excited to celebrate the New Year. We like to write everything down that we want to accomplish. We hit the gym for a couple of weeks, then stop. We eat healthy, then go right back to the delicious snacks. I get it, food is my weakness too. So how do we change our way of life so that it will stick? What is the key to really making this a NEW year for us? The date changing after midnight is really the only change that happens in most people’s life. But I am sure if you are reading this blog, you aren’t most people. You want to grow. You want something different. You want different results than last year, or maybe you were satisfied and you just want better results. I keep hearing people say “THIS IS MY YEAR!” Well, I said that last year, and my goodness, last year was hell. We can say whatever we want, but what are we going to DO different.
NOTE TO SELF
&
THE
WORLD:
DECIDE WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO WITH YOUR PAIN!
Or it will decide for you. I can tell you to save money, go help the needy, to write affirmations on your bathroom mirror, to structure a more healthy lifestyle, and so many other great things to do this year. But none of those things will be consistent if you do not do the inner work necessary to change a habit in the first place.
You have two choices.
Use your pain to change yourself and the people around you, or use your pain to destroy yourself and the people around you. How about getting rid of suppression this year? How about we tell the truth this year and admit to ourselves that we have been going through shit for too long? It is time to own up to what is really going on inside all of us. We ALL have pain. Pain does not discriminate. It is the only constant in life, but so is change.
To have new habits, a new perspective and a new mindset, we have to deal with our past traumas and our issues. The pain will come out, some way or some how. You have control of the release though. Do you want it to seep out as fears, insecurities, defensiveness, dishonesty, or selfishness (not in a self loving way)? Or do you want your pain to help someone else get through what they are going through too? We all feel alone at one point. You expressing your pain, releasing your pain, and admitting that you are hurting allows others to feel comfortable to do the same. Can you imagine how your friend circle, your family, your marriage or relationship would look like if we all healed this year? What if we decided to seep out love, understanding, vulnerability, compassion, gentleness, honesty, and encouragement? But how can you do that if you have so much negative energy just floating all around and in you? You do not see it, because you pretend it is not there. But everybody else sees it.
Pain does not have to be negative, but it will turn that way if it does not have an escape. I think about how I am when I have cabin fever. I got in a bad car wreck right before Christmas and I was in bed for days in straight agony. I was going insane. I just wanted to get out the house. Your pain is telling you the same thing. LET ME OUT! Stop holding it hostage because it is keeping you from pursuing your dreams, and loving and receiving love like you were created to.
Have your new years resolutions, that’s awesome. But go a little deeper this year. Figure out why you shut down. Figure out why you push people away. Figure out why you have trust issues. Figure out why you hate to cry. Figure out why you keep procrastinating. If you can’t figure yourself out, don’t get upset at others for misunderstanding you.