The start of a new year. I can’t remember a new year where I didn’t feel excited. Like there was some freshness in the air. A chance to hit the reset button of my life, or at least the reset button of my feelings and emotions. A childlike feeling of excitement that momentarily forgets about the challenges or difficulties of the outgoing season. Something curious about the fact that everyone in this massive world community is pondering over this transition into a new year, all at around the same time, and being a part of that. A part of something so much bigger than ourselves. All of this creates a build up and so many different emotions.
Well, how do you approach this special transition? Do you talk about resolutions or goals? Do you use the language of becoming new or renewed? Do you dread this time of the year and simply ‘opt-out’? Perhaps you make promises to yourself about changes you would like to make in your life? Perhaps your excitement transitions into guilt 8 weeks later when you realise your life hasn’t really begun to change in the way you intended?
Hmmmmm……….
I’ll share what I tend to do. Feel free to try it out if you like the sound of it.
Look over your shoulder and smile
Well, I like to start with looking back. Looking back at the old outgoing year. I like to see on paper what my highlights were and what I enjoyed about the year. I also like to see what big events or challenges or hurdles I had to overcome. Successfully or not so successfully, and just acknowledge them, good or bad. An exciting trip, an admission to hospital, a friendship that withered away. A delicious meal, designing my book cover, the feelings of bodily peace. The times you caught a glimpse of your true authentic character unfiltered, and the laughter you had from a nourishing friendship.
I jot these down with pencil on paper, preferably in little circles or squiggly shapes like clouds, and just get it all down, out of my head. This is fun, and the larger the piece of paper the better. I do like using my journal, but I run out of space so I prefer to use a larger sketch type pad that I keep tucked away for big creative moments like this.
Or if you’re not much of a writer, you could try going for a walk while recording yourself on your phone, saying all your highlights out loud. I did both this year and it was really fun, especially as my thoughts were rolling out faster than I could write! So later on when writing, I could use the audio to check I hadn’t forgotten anything.
Give space for acknowledgement
Then when you’re quite done giving acknowledgement to the outgoing year, start the process again for what you would like to see happen in your life for the new year.
Hello new year! What’s occurring?
This should be fun! Remember, if there are things you are afraid to say because you think there’s no point in wishing for it, then write it down! Don’t hold back. Sometimes it takes writing something down to bring it to life, and really admit it to yourself. Because I’ve done this a few times, I now know that you want to be as specific as you can. Also give things a deadline, like a date for when you want something to happen or to start taking shape.
This starts to take you into the territory of writing goals, which isn’t really what this post is about, so more on that another time. But this process is all about bringing clarity and focus and deliberate intention to what is important for your life. It’s about taking the time to give breathing space to your thoughts and to what’s in your heart. To really bring it to life and help you make real authentic decisions about what direction to take next, to get to where you would really like to be.
I’d love to hear how you get on.
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