As 2018 comes to a close, there are a few things to remember that can help bring the year to a smooth end and to be ready for a wonderful new 2019. If we become aware of old patterns and habits that maybe inhibiting us and if we can do so with self-compassion then this will certainly contribute to the smoothness factor for 2019!
To become more self-aware or self knowing, to practice more compassion and love towards ourselves and others are things to remember.
" Self-knowledge is not clarity or transparency or knowing how everything works, self-knowledge is a fiercely attentive form or humility and thankfulness, a sense of the privilege of a particular form of participation, coming to know the way we hold the conversation of life and perhaps, above all, the miracle that there is a particular something rather than an abstracted nothing and we are a very particular part of that particular something."
- David Whyte -
Here are 7 easy simple ways to begin the new year, since many of us make new year resolutions that run out of steam in a few months. If we add simple changes then we may feel less overwhelmed or guilty!
Presence:
Is it be here and now in this moment because there is only this moment.
Start your day with a 5 minute meditation, here is a link to a simple meditation I created for you. It is a great meditation to do at anytime during the day.
Awareness:
When you drive, take a bus or walk to work, take a few moments to look with extra care at something from nature, take in its colors, the scent, the way it makes you feel or the feel of it. In this moment you are being present and consciously aware of your surroundings. This can be a mindful way of being aware of your surroundings. It could be that you become more aware of the sound of your breath or how your breathing changes when you are tense or relaxed.
Courage:
This may conjure up ideas of walking on a tight rope across a canyon but this is not what I mean by courage!! By courage I mean to do little things that push us out of an old pattern or way of thinking or behaving. It takes great courage to feel what is going on inside of us and to change small things in our lives.
Notice what things you are ready to change, perhaps you may want to add a new style of dance, try a new kind of cuisine, read a new genre of books, do something that is out of your ordinary comfort zone.
Self-Care:
Notice what your body and mind are asking you for?
Many of us go through life unaware of our own needs and are either too afraid to face them or are often more in tune with the needs of others. Stop. Breathe. Listen. Ask of yourself: what do I need? Do I need to add more exercise, more sleep, healthier more nutritious food or to take more care in our personal grooming?
Authenticity:
Is to be true to ourselves and to live our lives as authentically as possible. This means becoming aware of our strengths and weaknesses and accepting them for what they are.To accept our shadow and light sides means that we can truly see all of ourselves. Our shadows are as important as our light attributes and both are vital in the creation of who we are.
Forgiveness:
Letting go of old hurts and things that we have been holding on to. We can let go of the pain that the hurt may have caused even though the memory of it maybe there. When we do this it no longer has a hold on us and we are free.
This could be accepting others as they are and when we apply this to ourselves then forgiveness is accepting ourselves for who we are.
Gratitude:
Is to be grateful for the tiniest of things that we may be taking for granted on a daily basis. The trees that line the street as you drive along, the fact that you can see the green leaves of the trees or the pink of the rose, the aroma of the coffee that you drink or the taste that floods your mouth when you bite into a ripe peach. There is much much that we forget to acknowledge and give thanks for. When we are expressing gratitude it mean that we have felt, seen and experienced something so simple yet so precious.
I am so grateful to you that you took the time to read this. Thank you!
I wish you joy and good health for 2019.
Here are some of my favorite books that touch on some of these ideas and more: