New Year, new beginnings. How will you say goodbye to 2020?
One thing I have learned about life is that nothing stays the same. Every moment is temporary, every thought, action and our own lives. We are all here travelling through time and space. Not just in nature, but everything on this planet has a season. Every tree sheds and grows and and adapts and so must we. We must must be willing to shed, to adapt and let go. To stay the same goes against the very laws of nature. The New Year is as a perfect time to reflect and move towards new beginnings.
It has been a challenging year at times but one that has brought a lot of lessons and shown how adaptable we can all be. Many of us have had to pivot our businesses, our schooling, the way we make money. We have had to think on our toes and we also got a lot of time for self-reflection as many of us spent time in solitude in lockdown. Some people drank far more than they have ever done and some of us used the time to transform. As the year draws to the close and you reflect, can you note down what lessons you have learned from the year that has been? Did you grow? What did you learn about yourself? What are you most grateful for? What would you have done differently?
This year before the clock strikes midnight (if I can stay up that late) I will write a list of all of these things. I will note down all the lessons, the hardships, the things I am grateful for. I might burn them in a fire or tuck it away to reflect on this time next year.
I will then set my intentions for the year ahead. How do I want to change and evolve with this new year?
The beautiful thing about life is the impermanence of it. We all have the ability to make choices that can change us or break us and even those choices can be changed at any moment.
All it takes, is a thought to change everything. A thought followed by one step, or a simple plan.
From Jan 1 I will be leading a group of people through 3 months of sobriety and goal setting. My intention is to help these people change how they think about alcohol and themselves.
3 years ago on New Years Eve I made a decision to change and I threw everything in to it. I worked hard on changing my mindset and the way I saw myself. Looking back I can’t even believe I ever felt the way I did about myself. Self-loathing and letting my inner critic run wild controlling my thoughts. It took daily work but it was so worth it.
If you really want change in your life all it takes is a bit of commitment to change. Ask yourself these questions:
Why do I want to change?
What will I change?
How will I change?
As you bring in this New Year, think about how you can make changes that will impact your life in the most positive way. Will you stay the same or will you make some choices that will transform you? Will your choices have a ripple effect that will help others?