I USED to think that New Year's resolutions were a bit silly. I USED to think, "why pick January 1 to start making positive changes? That can happen anytime!" But, more and more I'm finding that ANY reason to get us thinking about making positive changes in our lives is a good one. So, if another new year inspires you to reflect on the past with insight and learning, set goals for the future, and determine what needs to change TODAY in order to achieve those goals, well then that is an annual tradition worth celebrating and continuing.
Like nature, and the changing of the seasons, there seems to be something that happens in each of us around the new year, that sparks change. While winter just carries on from December to January, relatively unchanged, something less tangible within us knows it's time for change. We start to take inventory of our lives: our home, our belongings, our people, our work, our hobbies, our habits. We start to assess each one, asking "what serves me well? What's good for me? What helps me with my goals? What hinders my goals and my health? What do I need to let go of?"
Letting go. Endings. They typically come first before new beginnings can follow. The end of one thing, before the start of something else, seems to me to be the biggest reason why change can be so hard for some. So, lets try challenging our attachments to the things that we are scared to let go of. What helps us? What hinders us? What endings and beginnings would we like to see in our lives? Yes, these are questions we can ask at any time. But if the new year encourages us to ask them, there is nothing silly about that.
Wishing you and yours a healthy 2018,
Kelsi, and team at Upper Island Counselling.
