01 Jan Have A Happy New Year All Year Long: Transform Your Thoughts To Transform Yourself
The holiday season is upon us. It is a time to relax, reconnect with family and friends, enjoy lavish dinner gatherings, attend celebratory parties, and exchange gifts. As the winter equinox brings us the shortest day of the year in late December, we can reflect on our past and ruminate about our future. It is a tipping point as now the days will be getting longer. The entire holiday season is a special time of the year to experience and share your deep joy. An opportunity for change. It’s not uncommon for you to feel a deep urge to transform yourself.
As you read this, notice what comes up for you. Is your heart starting to beat a little faster or are your neck muscles tensing up? Are you beginning to stress out, dreading certain parts of the holiday season? Worried about the temptations of too many cookies or your long gift shopping list that seems impossible to complete?
“Consider this question: Would you like this holiday season to be different? How about the rest of the year? How about the rest of your life?”
You are a magnificent creator. How to create change is not a huge secret. It merely takes awareness identifying what your needs are, how they can be met, and then taking small action steps to create it. All for the asking, but you have to ask. Annual events like the holidays, birthdays, or wedding anniversaries give us the opportunity to reflect and reset. Take a moment to center yourself and breathe into your reality, the one you’ll create this holiday season through clear choice-making. Once you reframe everything as a choice, you do away with have to’s, obligations, or should’s. Commit now to stop should-ing on yourself.
Instead, wonder about the different ways you would like to consciously create a holiday season that gives you maximum joy, ease, and flow. Start with a commitment statement such as, I commit to creating a nurturing and fun holiday season that gives me energy through a deep connection with myself and others. Notice what thoughts and ideas arise. Next, identify what your needs are. Notice if your need for deep connection is best one-on-one. Do you like small intimate gatherings, large groups, all-night parties, or a combination of?
Begin to make a Joy List by simply identifying what brings you joy. Keep wondering, “What are my needs for the holiday?” Follow up by asking yourself, “What is the simplest action step I can take to actualize it?” Then move forward and follow through.
In the coming weeks, you’ll also be invited to many holiday events with many food and drink temptations. Make conscious clear choices. One of the best gifts you can give yourself this holiday season is to be mindful that you are in control and your choices reflect that. Use the temptations as your mindful teacher.
You are in charge of your body and what you eat or drink. As you approach the New Year, take it on as an invitation to reflect upon what was, what is, and your future intentions– what you want your life to be. When you are counting down the seconds and yelling out “Happy New Year,” remember you actually get to transform yourself and live your life, happily.
To get on the right path to achieving happiness this year, keep in mind two concepts – perfection and practice. So as the New Year approaches, reflect on what was, what is, and your intentions– what do you want your life to be. Ask yourself “now what?” and don’t get caught up on any perceived setbacks or imperfections. Incorporate wonder, curiosity, and small action steps into your expansion practice. Get committed to that. Most importantly, don’t forget to make that self- discovery easy and super fun. Remember, you really can have a Happy New Year all year long.
