With the new year comes many emotions, but most of all, excitement! 2016 was definitely a year of growing, learning, reflecting, and transformation-- which are all blessings on their own. Now that we are entering a new year it is important that we shed all of the past to create more space for peace, love, abundance, and our desires. This means forgiving those who you hold ill feelings towards, quitting bad habits, changing your perspective on situations that cause you stress or negativity, and eliminating anything else that doesn't contribute to your peace and happiness. Leave all of the drama, negativity, gossip, and bad energy in the past where it belongs. If you choose to harbor hate or any type of negative towards yourself or others, it will continue to follow you until you decide to learn from it and move on.
For me, the new year always brings in this strong wave of positive energy allowing me to reflect on the past year and take the lessons learned and apply them into the new year. However, this is something I do throughout the year, not only when it's celebrated. It is important that we learn to become more mindful of ways we can improve ourselves so that it can become a habit of checking and balancing ourselves. I love the idea that the new year brings transformation with the "new year, new me" trend, but too many of us only use this one day and forget about the other 364 days. You should be able to embrace change throughout the year, allowing yourself to shed parts of you that no longer serve you good. Essentially, this means being able to hold yourself accountable for the things that happen in your life and for your actions. The only way you will be able to improve and elevate your life is by taking responsibility for the state of your life, as that is a reflection of the state of your mind.The other day, I was thinking a lot about how we live our lives completely blind to the fact that the only real enemy you have is yourself. I think it's silly when people talk about having enemies because the only reason they are your "enemy" is due to the fact that you are allowing them to hold that title and you're giving them that power over you. At the end of the day, the only person that truly defeats us, holds us back, speaks negatively to us, and controls the way we feel, is ourself. Once you realize this and apply it to your mind, you will begin to see just how much we battle with ourself when it comes to emotions, beliefs, and actions. However, knowing this is and actually living by it are two different things. When you live your life knowing you're the only person that can hinder your growth, you will never allow yourself to go back to your old ways of thinking. You begin living life the way it's supposed to be lived, a life undefeated. This isn't always an easy thing to do because it requires taking accountability for everything in your life and constantly reflecting on how to better yourself in almost every aspect, but in the end you realize it's one of the best things you could ever do for yourself. So before we go through some new years' resolutions, at the top of the list should be acknowledgment that life is only, ever, You vs. You!
In 2017 let's strive not to become someone different or to change who we are, but only to become the best version of ourself. Sometimes we set goals for ourselves that aren't reflective of who we are or that are unrealistic. It's important that we know ourselves well enough to be able to create intentions that will only better ourselves physically, mentally, spiritually, emotionally--all within range to be achieved.
Moving forward and living by this in the new year, we are now able to manifest our intentions and do anything we set our mind to. Let's not even refer to them as resolutions, but instead as intentions. To resolve something means to find a solution to a problem. We must not see our life as needing to be solved or as problematic. The way you experienced the past year was necessary for your growth in life. Now is a time to reflect on the ups and downs, lessons and blessings, and to learn from your accomplishments and from your mistakes. I encourage you to create achievable and realistic intentions, positive transformations, and to realize the power you have in creating the life you want to live just by turning on the mental switch of becoming more aware and mindful. We don't need to wait miraculously to make a change only when the calendar flips, we should have intentions (resolutions) every single day, intentions can be small decisions that we make to enhance the way we live. Visualize yourself better everyday and you will slowly begin to reflect that with ease and comfort.
Furthermore, it's vital to our growth this year that we become more confident and open-minded to new opportunities that come our way. Let's try to step out of our comfort zone and do something different that we would have never done before, those are often the decisions that lead us to greater heights. We can no longer allow fear of failure or embarrassment to linger in the back of our minds, like they often do. Find gratitude in all that you have and everything you are, only then will you be able to achieve the intentions you set forth. Desire, ego, or greed should never be at the center of our intentions because those are not qualities that are representative of positive manifestations. In addition, take the time to write down the things you would like to wash your hands of from 2016--things about yourself or within your environment that are keeping you from being the best you. Now write down all that you can do to improve yourself as an individual; implement consistent actions in your life that will reflect a conscious effort towards your intentions.Let's no longer be bothered by the little things, but instead appreciate and fall in love with them. Let's choose to view our problems from a different perspective, transforming them into tools for growth. Let us value and love ourselves so much that we no longer allow toxic relationships to thrive. Stop spending your time envying or hating on others, because that only magnifies your insecurity. Trust yourself and your intuition to guide you only to things that serve a purpose in your life. Allow others to teach you and don't be hesitant in learning new things. Practice mindfulness, as it is something that will truly change your life it you let it. Pray more, worry less. Practice meditation. Read more books and do more research on things that matter. Connect with nature. Express gratitude and unleash your creativity. Spend your money on experiences. No longer take things for granted. Realize needing nothing, attracts everything. Be more health conscious as to what foods you put in your body and drink more water. Take care of your mind first, then your body and spirit. Our mind is at the center of everything we do and comes first in all--it's essential that we know this and pay attention to our thoughts and cultivate positive mindsets in any given situation.
May this year be filled with nothing but peace, love, positivity, financial abundance, good music, good food, friends and family, new opportunities, and everything good that life has to offer. I hope that you all take the good that came from 2016 with you on your journey this new year. Remember, at the end of the day we are all on the same mission, to be happy. So do what makes you happy and continue to shine your light on those who come in and out of your life. Do not dwell on the past and do not worry about the future. Live in the moment because that's all that ever is. Let's make 2017 one to remember! Happy New Year!
P.S. Below I have included an intention exercise for the new year, try it out!
