A different Kind of Resolution

We have arrived at a new calendar year and yet … is it me, or does it feel like nothing is new?  How are you feeling?  Are you filled with the energy of possibilities or are you still trying to recover from the past several months (or years)?

I’m willing to bet that you, my darling reader, have not had much rest in the past few months (or years) and now you may be noticing the pressure of setting New Year’s resolutions or big goals for 2023 so that you can have the “best year ever!”

If you have been with me for a while, you might remember me talking about my feelings around setting resolutions and how I often explore other ways that we can motivate ourselves.  There is certainly nothing wrong with wanting to make changes in your life or with wanting some aspects of your life to be different – that is a big part of what being a Life Coach is – helping people create the life they really want.  But often resolutions are made because you think that you should have been better in some way and resolutions that are made in this mindset have a tendency not to stick. 

In this light, can I ask a favor of you? 

Get a pen and a piece of paper (or whatever you make lists with) and write at the top of the page
 

I Was Enough in 2022
 

Then list the things you did in the past year – things like… went to work, made meals, got out of bed, wrote reports, planted a garden, harvested that garden, rode my bike, smiled at people, got my kids to school with pants on (most days)…

You did a million and one things last year and you are amazing!  That you are still standing after the past three years is nothing short of a miracle and maybe it wasn’t always pretty, but you did it and it was enough.

You did enough.

You are enough.

Read through your list and keep adding to it as you remember more.  Let yourself feel the enoughness. If, after making your list and reading it through, you still feel like setting some resolutions can I offer a suggestion?

What if you resolved to get more rest and connect with more joy?  What if these two things were all that you focused on for the whole year?  Imagine what your “enough” list would look like next January!  Check in with your body….how do these resolutions feel in your body?  Do they expand your heart or contract it?  Or maybe you are too tired to have any reaction at all! 

My wish for you in 2023 is that you find the path that is the most nourishing and joyful for you and may this year be the year that you find yourself and your energy once again.

Photo by Hello I'm Nik on Unsplash

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