New Year’s always brings out the philosophers and the ideas
for what life has been, and what life can be.
I’ve always found resolutions to be interesting. Finding ways and times to assess
life is important. Discovering what’s
working in life and what’s not is the best way to make choices of how to move
forward.
How do we stick to the effort to follow through on a
resolution? When I decide to make a
change, I call upon my past experiences and all the times I put forth that effort
and it paid off tenfold. You see, by
linking past experiences to present and future, you may be more able to stick
to your evolutionairy plan. The other tactic
I use to raise my courage is to take a moment to listen to my bodies’ reaction
to my idea. If I feel a sensation of stirring
in my gut or a tickle to the back of my neck along with a little anticipation, I know the effort is worth my time. The result is likely to be more happiness because
this outcome has been true in the past. Not
everyone is this clear or fortunate enough to have a string of positive experiences. To me, finding your first clear successful resolution
may be the reason to try. If the
alternative is unhappiness or suffering, making a different choice seems to be
worth the risk.
I recently left a career defining job because the fit was
not for me, and I’m so grateful that I removed myself from that situation.
The knowing began in my body as tension, which I tried to ignore.
By the end of my time in this job, I had physical symptoms of stress like eczema (newly acquired), brain fog,
and inflammation. My body was my clear teacher in what choices,
wrong choices, could do to me. However, quitting was not as simple as I wanted it to be, which is an example of having responsibilities. Life got in the way. I am fortunate that I have many skills that can earn me a living, and the change in my career has been wonderful! On the home front, my wellness and personal integrity journey includes making my own meals because my prescribed diet is limited. What a triumph to become a wizard in the kitchen! My body and mind are recovering and healing through my newfound wizardry and attention.
This New Years, I encourage you to try this experiment. First, find a quite place where you can be
alone for a couple of minutes. Then,
close your eyes and think of your life as it is. Place your hand on your stomach or forehead
or both. Breathe. Ask yourself if this is the best version of
your life you can imagine. Breathe. What elements do you love about your
life? Breathe. What elements do you wish were in your life? See what comes to you. Try not to force any
ideas, let the ideas float into you.
Discover if your body might have some ideas to offer that your mind may
not have been fully aware of… until now.
May you have a wonderful, courageous, and an evolutionairy New
Year!
Copyright 2018 Heather L. Corwin, Ph.D.
