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Wonder Woman: New Beginnings

It’s
that time of year when what has been makes way for what is to come … we wish
each other a Happy New Year, hoping that this year will be better, happier or
easier than the last.

We
resolve to take the healthy and positive actions that we didn’t last year, and
our intentions are good – until the flow and rhythm of the year begins and we
find ourselves doing what we’ve always done and ruefully wondering when the
change we had committed to evaporated.

Looking Back…

There
are two reasons for this almost-inevitable disappointment and the first is that
we look forward before we’ve looked back.

Experiences
which are difficult, challenging or uncomfortable are usually filled with a
great deal more learning than easy, carefree times; and are brimming with
exactly what we need to know in order to move forward in our lives if only we
take the time to reflect.

The
kinds of questions that open the way to this reflection might be things like:

"The
three most painful experiences I had this past year were …"

"And
what I learned from each of them is …"

"Five
things that I’m happy to have achieved this year are …"

"Gifts
or contributions that I’ve made to other people, to my community or to the
world this year are …"

And then Looking
Forward …

This
kind of reflection makes it easier to understand the future directions we might
choose to take. For example:

"If
I were not limited by time, energy or money I would do the following fifty
things this coming year (include both accomplishments and experiences and
activities which would really just be for fun) …"

"If
I only had this coming year to live, what would I do differently?"

These
are wonderful questions to use in order to create the kind of future
we’d actually like to live in, rather than simply existing from day to day and
hoping that life will change our experiences for us.

You
may not realistically be able to do all fifty things on your list; but looking
at them all together will certainly indicate what really matters to you, and
will move you toward them in some way while you hold the longer-term vision.

Knowing the Reason

The
second reason that the change we want so much stays just out of reach is that
we set goals and make resolutions without being clear on exactly what we’ll
achieve by keeping them. Like a top-of-the-range computer without any software,
resolutions without context are pointless.

Understanding
the reason we want whatever we want means that the subconscious mind is able to
place that change within the bigger picture of our lives and move us toward it,
instead of an isolated goal.

For
example: "I’m going to read and learn about anger and depression so that I
understand my emotions better" is realistic and useful; whereas "I’m not going
to fight with my family anymore" is neither. And "I’m going to eat more
healthily in order to reduce my need for medication and to set a better example
to my child" is going to be a whole lot more compelling than "I want to lose
weight"!

May
your new beginnings throughout the coming year bring you harmony and happiness.

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