New Years: Starting Anew

It’s the time of renewal, of thinking ahead, of imagining how our lives could be as we begin a new year. It’s a magical time, really, a time of creation—an opportunity to visualize all that we dream, all that we want to be, all that we wish for our lives. It’s an opportunity for a new start, to put aside the past and enter into what is new.

Of course, sometimes we might think, “Well, the New Year is just another day; there’s no point to them since we’ll just go back to the way it was.” And, at least to some extant, that will be true. But any time period that we set for ourselves as a significant point of transition or passage can serve to help us establish newness in our lives. It doesn’t actually matter whether that day is January 1 or some other random date. On the other hand, when our community or society joins together to observe a given ritual or intention, such as any holiday, our joint focus gives great strength to the meaning and purpose of that time frame.

And so, this is a good time of year to give thought to starting fresh. We can renew our intentions in life, commit to new directions, and re-commit to important aspirations that have fallen to the wayside or that need strengthening. It is a time of hope.

Only a few weeks before was the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year. We are now launching into the light—a new direction, new opportunities, new ideas. Soon the warmth and the light will bring gestation to whatever seeds we plant, and so it is the perfect time for considering what those seeds might be. What do we wish the fruits of our labors to be, and how shall we go about nurturing our garden into its abundance?

If we take time now in this inherently internal winter period of hibernation, we might discover it is a natural time for introspection, visualization, planning. The cycle of the new year naturally brings a unique opportunity to review and reconsider what is important to us.

This review might best start with, not just our “to-do lists” for the next year, but also an acknowledgement of ourselves for what has been good. What have we done well? What are we proud of? What previous intentions have been completed or fulfilled to our satisfaction? And in what ways might we give more attention to our successes and more self-acknowledgment for the things with which we are pleased?

And our review of what we would like to change and add might start with the big picture. Who and what do we love? What do we care about? What is our purpose in life and what do we want to accomplish here? Once we recall the overarching vision for our lives we can better know if we on course with our intentions and our directions. In this context, New Years resolutions take on a deeper meaning, and perhaps even a spiritual or sacred direction for us in this time of renewal. In seeing resolutions in this way, we can see the importance of making true commitments to what we would like to make new in our lives. We can set the stage for the kind of quality and value that is important to us in the larger scope of things. Rather than ignoring or minimizing this renewal opportunity, we can actually begin to engage ourselves in bringing our dreams into reality. Here are some tips on making that happen.

1. Yep, really write it down. No kidding. Part of the magic of the renewal time is being able to make it concrete. This is why visualization is so effective—for it actually brings our ideas and dreams into being. When we write down our intentions, we take them out of the realm of thought into the physical realm. We have thus taken a very substantial move toward making them happen. Writing things down also has the additional advantage of becoming its own feedback mechanism. In other words, once we have written something, it is then there for us to see, to consider and reconsider, and to be reminded.
   
   
2. Post your intentions where you can see them. Put your list or lists where they will work for you. Write those work-out sessions and evenings with the kids right into your calendar—straight through to December of the New Year. Put appropriate reminders where you need to see them. For example, right next to the refrigerator there may be an elegant computer print-out that says, “I’m bored with junk food.” On your desk there may be a little frame around your most important motivational thought: “I love my clients” or “My work is fun.” What is the first thought you would like to have each day? A little poster next to your bed might read, “We’re a happy family,” or “God is my best friend.” Take the time now to consider what is important and decide how you will keep reminding yourself about it.
   
   
3. Get with a few “Resolution Buddies.” There is nothing like a buddy system to help two or more people mutually stay on course with their intentions. Invite a few specific people—or even a large group–to join you or support you in your intentions. Are you planning a whole-family dinner together at least every Tuesday and Thursday? Then engage the whole family in making it happen. Want to go to the gym three times a week? Find out who else has that intention and make some agreements about meeting there or going together. Do you want things to proceed differently with employees or employers at work? Let them know and ask them if they will join you in creating some game plans together. If your intentions involve others, share your enthusiasm and interest in the new directions.
   
   
4. Make a commitment to yourself and others. Making a commitment doesn’t mean you’ll be perfect from now on. In fact, quite the opposite; it means you’ll stick with your intentions regardless of the fact that sometimes you won’t feel like it and sometimes you won’t do it well. It means that something or someone is important enough to you to stretch out of your habits and your comfort zone into your potential. It means that, regardless of your successes and failures, that there is a value that you hold high, and that you will continue to aspire to it through the ups and downs of life. It means you care about yourself and those around you enough to keep moving steadily toward being all that you can be. And in time you will look back and see the gift that those resolutions have given you. Happy New Year!