Into a New Year

I'm reading in various places lately about different people's perspectives on crossing into a new year, thoughts about what we should do: Make resolutions. Don't make resolutions! Set intentions. Choose a mantra. Pick one word of the year. Don't do anything— the beginning of the year is just an arbitrary day, and you are fine as you are. Well, this is confusing!

I'm noticing there is a bit of rebellion against the traditional list of resolutions. The way some of us have held resolutions in the past is too stiff, too judgemental, too all-or-nothing. It has us feel trapped, like it's so easy to fail. 

One response to this is to do nothing. I support this fully if it feels right to you. You get to do what you want! But I also seem to note that many of us do want something to happen. Many of us do crave some sort of fresh start, a clean slate. We want to make meaning of this time that, culturally, we make such a big deal about. Meaning is one of our human needs.

Yes, we can start fresh any day, in any moment. AND big markers like the new year are a great time to grasp onto as a starting point for a new way of being. For me, the important distinction to make is between these two approaches:

A wish to grow into a more whole and well version of your already-beautiful self. 

AND

What Bob Sharples so beautifully describes as "the subtle aggression of self-improvement."

What is at the heart of our intent to move forward in a new way? Are we approaching this from a standpoint that we are already whole, that this is simply a chosen moment to reflect and to shift our course slightly? Or are we coming from a place of "not good enough?" 

Whether we then choose a word, a mantra, a habit... whatever calls to us will point us in a good direction, as long as we're motivated by love and care for ourselves, rather than judgement.

May we be fully aware of our inherent already-enough-ness, and may we move with grace through this new year.

- Katie