by Shannon Crow
Every January 1st, I find myself staring at a blank page in a new journal, with a fresh ballpoint pen in hand. “This will help me create an even better year,” I think to myself. In a way it does. Something tells me, though, that it has nothing to do with my choice of flowery stationery.
New Year’s resolutions are tricky things. One survey in 2008 found that 35 percent of people had broken their resolution by the end of January. Before you start down that path, throw away the notion of making resolutions only when the New Year’s Eve party ends.
I love the energy and momentum that a new year brings, but fresh starts can happen throughout the year. Mondays, a new moon, and the first day of each season are all opportunities for growth and change. The best time, though, is when you are ready for embracing change.
Whatever your goal, these three simple steps can help you discover the inspiration needed for embracing change this year.
1. Use Quiet to Find Your Inspiration
We all find inner quiet in different ways. For me, the easiest way is to sit still with my eyes closed until the space between my thoughts grows larger than the constant chatter of my mind. This is my meditation. Find what works for you, or try one of these:
- make a cup of tea
- enjoy a warm bath (here is a recipe I love for a detox & relax bath)
- take a walk
- listen to inspiring music
If you want to try a seated meditation, sit comfortably and notice your breath. Focus on making your inhale and exhale the same length. Start small, maybe a minute in the beginning. You don’t need to play fancy music or have a silk meditation pillow. You only need the space and time to sit and be quiet. This is the first step to hearing your inner voice – the one that knows what you need to be happy this year.
2. Recognize Previous Positives
After you have found some stillness, reflect on the previous year. As tempting as it is to list what changes you want for the new year, it pays to first recognize what worked last year. Chances are you will be surprised with what you come up with.
There is no set time frame for this exercise, but see if you can come up with at least 20 items for your list. Use these questions to start you off:
- What strengths became apparent in you this year?
- Did you help a friend?
- Did you take a vacation?
- Which people and what events shaped your year?
- What lessons did you learn?
You can identify the struggles, as well, but try to focus on the positive events and the lessons that you’ve learned. Now is the time to nurture yourself, and to learn from what worked in the past. This will set the foundation for a brand new year!
3. Get Happy By Embracing Change
Here is where I go against the grain of many “how to make your resolutions stick” articles. Most advise you to choose one specific goal, keep it simple, and stay focused. This works really well if your goal is to finish your taxes on time, write a term paper, or weed the garden.
To change your daily habits, though, you have to be a little more inventive and a lot more excited. To get started, list at least 20 activities that light up your soul. Use these ideas as a guide, or create your own:
- Make a list of activities that create happiness in you.
- Think back to when you were a child. What made you happy? When did time stop for you?
- As a teen, what did you spend your time doing?
- Before you had chosen a career, what did you want to be? What part of that future life made you happy?
- As an adult, what are your biggest passions?
Review the list. Eliminate anything that sounds good, but makes someone else happy instead of you. Update the list as often as possible. Change it. Think on it. Leave it out where you can read it and make additions. If you are feeling stuck or in need of inspiration, return to step one.
Congratulations on beginning to uncover what makes you happy. This is the fuel for your resolutions throughout the year. Next I am researching how to use that fuel to feed the fire of embracing change in your life. Stay tuned and for sure add your comments below about your goals, resolutions and tactics to make it all stick.
My New Years Resolution is to embody my body seriously in a non-serious way. Wait…what?
I have found over the previous years that the majority of strength and flexible I have gained has not come from downward dogs on a mat, but instead has come from being in my body and moving with my body- truly using it from the inside out. As a kid I would do this all the time, without a doubt I would run up a tree or hop a stream, or skip down the road. I would fully use and experience my body, and this is what I’d like to stick to and build on!!!
And what about seriously in a non-serious way? I feel like I’ve gained a lot of inner wisdom this past year about embracing my true Self as changeless- the part of me that is always still amidst the momentum of thoughts, memories, fears and doubts. My center is always there. After discovering that it isn’t (for me) about battling myself to unlock some secret door to present moment, and to clarity, and that all I needed to do was recognize these habitual patterns of my mind alongside my changeless calm- that’s when I began to see myself and the world around me more clearly. I let go from the intensity of battling myself or trying to change myself, and instead focus on being Present without whacking myself with a mental stick to get there. I find that life flows much more smoothly when my jaw is not tight.
So to bring those two together.. I’m pretty excited for my 500 hour coming up in February. I will be spending a month in Bali focusing on pranayama, meditations, posture, and quietude. I feel that when I receive new tools from this teaching I will be able to bring more clarity of my thoughts to other people.
I would like to invite more discipline in with daily prayer and meditations, because for my personality, discipline enhances me by challenging me. The trick is not to doubt or judge myself while I am trying to become motivated 😉
Great Article Shannon!!!
So many great nuggets of wisdom in your comment Maxine. I love that you are using wisdom about your body that you had as a child. I learn so much from playing with my children and they are sure to call me out when I move into “not playing” mode. We are going to miss you lots while you are away in Bali and then we will get to share in your deepening awareness and knowledge. Yay!
Very nice article Shannon with great tips.I love how you personized it.
Thanks Joanne 🙂 Enjoy 2016 and I look forward to seeing you back at the studio!
Great article, Shannon! I especially love the first recommendation of using quiet to access our inspirations and intentions. It’s much easier to listen to my true intentions when my environment and mind are quiet.
Thanks for sharing your wisdom about reframing resolutions Diane (click here to read Diane’s article) – it has made me take another look at how I am setting goals and intentions.
very inspiring Shannon. An excellent reminder and good read!
Thanks Beth 🙂 Happy New Year!
Thanks Shannon. That was inspiring to me. I truly feel that my only goal is to become more present in my life. I watched a good movie the other night and Marty (the fictitious name) said. ‘Of all the things I have done or haven’t done the only one I really know is the truth is my INATTENTION”
I am going to work on being more aware ,bring more awareness to my breath,my thoughts,my images and my self talk. in my surroundings ,people who are in my life at that moment or not.
I definitely feel INATTENTION is so easy to do or be in our world today.
What great awareness to attention and inattention Nancy. Thanks for sharing that.