“What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.”
– Oliver Wendell Holmes
Hello My Lovelies!
Only three short weeks ago masses of people (maybe yourself included?) made New Years resolutions. I hate to be a buzzkill, but according to stats most of those resolutions have already bit the dust.
I have a feeling this brilliant annual flameout has a lot to do with the stale, surface resolutions most people pick: I’m going to lose weight…stop biting my nails…cut out carbs…get out of debt… Well, My Tribe – I say we declare a RESOLUTION RE-DO!!! This time though, let’s bypass resolutions that are just about changing our actions and go straight to the place from which all actions sprout… Let’s resolve to shift our energy.
Below you’ll find 5 juicy resolutions that directly cultivate the qualities we all so crave in our life – joy, peace, power, and love. These resolutions cost nothing, don’t take a lot of time, and are even a little fun. I encourage you to choose ONE immediately and schedule its daily or weekly execution in your day planner/calendar (rule of thumb: if it doesn’t make it into your daytimer, it most likely won’t make it into your life)
By the way, a delightful by-product of shifting the inner stuff is that the outer stuff almost always ends up falling in line…clever trick, huh?
Ok Team – let’s make this year stand and be counted, shall we?!
P.S. Oh…and if you have been killing it with your New Years resolutions, you have my huge congrats – Go Tiger!
“It is never too late to be what you might have been.” – George Eliot
5 Resolutions From the Inside Out
1. Unplugged Day – Modern technology, as wonderful as it can be, is seriously strangling all the SPACE out of our lives. The natural pauses/breaths we used to have built into our day – walking to work, waiting for the kettle to boil, standing on an elevator – are all now filled with texting, mobile conversations, and checking email. As a result, we’re becoming a society of doing rather than being. So, how about swearing off the devices (computer, PDAs, iPads) for a day or even just an afternoon a week? Sunday is a great day for this and if you want to get really wild, you could even declare an afternoon of SILENCE (no talking, email, watching tv, or texting) while you’re at it. Trade in multitasking for being present and give that little inner being of yours a chance to refuel!
2. Gratitude List – Resolutions often focus on all the qualities/stuff you don’t have. How about waking up to the awesomeness of what you already do have? Try making a list each day (morning or right before bed are optimal times for this) of 10 things you are grateful for right here and now. Gratitude items can range from little things (“that steaming vanilla soy latte” to “the cashier who greeted me with a warm smile in that awful line”) to big things (“being able to dance” to “the support of my best friend”). The powerful thing about a gratitude list is that you start noticing the gifts in your day as opposed to just obsessing over the crappy parts. And what you focus on in life expands… so you figure out the math on that one.
3. Morning Stretch – We spend so much of our lives in our heads that sometimes we forget we even have a body! Even just one minute of stretching every morning when you get up can significantly increase your daily connection to your precious body which, in turn, connects you to the precious moment. A few robust raising of your arms above your head and folding over towards your toes will open up your physicality and have you approaching the day in a much more relaxed, expansive, and powerful way. Bonus points for doing it naked! ; )
4. Daily Giving – Sometimes the best way to shift the energy in your life is to help shift the energy in somebody else’s. And don’t wait until you have the time, money, or a cure for cancer to be of service to this world. Take one small action each day (starting NOW) to be of service: phoning an elderly aunt or uncle who would be delighted to hear from you, signing an online petition, smiling at people you pass on the street, spending some extra time playing with your kids (human or furry). To stay accountable to this practice, write down at the beginning of the day how you plan to be of service or record at the end of the day the service action you took. By the way, if being of service starts to feel like an obligation…be of service to yourself and take a break from being Mother Theresa for a day or two.
5. Laugh Break – How crazy is it that we used to laugh 100 times more as children than we do as adults? Yet laughter is one of the healthiest activities we can take part in! Not only does laughter create such an open energy in us, it increases our stamina, decreases pain, fights disease, and *reduces food cravings*. In other words, instead of dieting, how about just LAUGHING more? So, resolve to build more laughter into your days. You could set aside 5 minutes a day to watch funny youtube videos, tell your co-workers a daily corny joke and ask them to return the favor, or get a close someone to tickle you every morning…tee-hee.
Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself. – Unknown
