New Year, New You?

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

Every time the new year rolls around, you see people posting all over social media about their new year's resolutions, their word of the year, and their accomplishments of the previous year. It can feel like there is a lot of pressure to jump on the bandwagon and reinvent yourself.

The thing to remember, though, is that if you are going to set new goals, it should be something that you are genuinely excited about. Otherwise, if you are just doing something because you feel that you 'should' you are probably going to crash and burn sometime in February and end up feeling worse about yourself.

Keep in mind that January 1st is an arbitrary deadline for reinvention and change. The calendar is changing, but you don't need to force yourself to change unless it feels like it is aligned to your ambitions for yourself.

You can just as easily decide to change your life on a random Thursday in August. For change to be meaningful and lasting, it has to be something that you really want for yourself. So, if it isn't something that has you excited, not to worry!

Creating your vision

While it is important to have a vision for your life, it doesn't need to be something that you create in these first weeks of the new year. If you aren't feeling it, give yourself some time and grace. Take some extra time for self care, and make sure that you are in a good place physically, mentally and spiritually.

Typically, I create my vision board for the new year on December 31st as a part of my New Year's Eve celebration. This year I started, but I didn't finish it yet. I don't feel like my path forward is clear right now. Instead of beating myself up for not being more focused, I am taking time for meditation and allowing things to unfold at their own pace.

If you don't know what you want to do this year, that's ok! First, start by thinking about what kind of person you want to be. In the Law of Attraction, we learn that to step into the "highest version of ourselves" we have to have a clear picture in our minds, and then start acting as if we are that person.

According to Psychology Today, we can first start by thinking about our core values, and then aligning our behaviors to those values:

Your core values are what you regard as the most important things to and about you. They inspire a wish to improve, appreciate, connect, and protect. They are what you "stand for" and how you would like to be remembered.

Likely, you already are at least somewhat aware of your core values. These are the beliefs we have about how the world should be, and how people should behave and treat each other. If you are feeling unclear, you can do a journal session to reflect on your values, and what is most important to you in life.

Do you value kindness, compassion, friendship, hard work, honesty, or something else? Choosing your values can help provide a compass for your life, and decide what kind of person you really want to be. Once you know who you want to be, then you can start the become that person.

Finding Alignment

As you begin to come into alignment with the highest version of yourself, you will gain more clarity on what you really want out of life as well. But it all starts with YOU. This is your life, and it becomes what you make of it. It all starts with your thoughts, beliefs and attitudes. As those begin to solidify, your plans and actions will begin to fall in line.

It isn't an overnight process to bring yourself into alignment with your highest self. It takes time and commitment. The more you commit to being the best version of yourself, the more effort you are likely to put in.

You can find yourself in stillness. This can be done through practices like mindfulness, meditation, yoga, journaling and gratitude. The more you tune into yourself, and seek your inner wisdom, you begin to find your authentic self underneath all of the social conditioning.

Awakened Adulting offers the following five tips to align with your higher self:

1. OWN YOUR MAGNIFICENCE

2. THE HEALING BENEFITS OF BREATHWORK

3. BENEFITS OF GROUNDING

4. RECONNECT TO YOUR DIVINE FEMININE ENERGY

5. SELF CARE IS NOT SELFISH

All of these tips allow you to tap into your highest self, and to realize the beauty that is already within you. We are all beings of love and light. The more you still yourself and find your center, the more you will feel the divine light that is already within you. It is there right now, at the center of your being, waiting for you to feel it.

Using breathwork, such as practices found in meditation or yoga, can help you feel centered and grounded. This is a powerful way to tune into the deepest part of yourself. Your own inner wisdom is your truest guide in life, and can provide you with answers that are difficult to find in today's busy world.

The Divine Feminine isn't just about being a woman. It is the softer, more nurturing side of all of us. Whether you are a man or woman, you possess both feminine and masculine energy.

According to The Good Trade,

Ultimately, the consensus I’ve found is that the divine feminine is closely connected to “receiving” or “hidden” while the masculine is “producing” or “visible.” And we’ve idealized the “producing” side of things as a society (particularly in the “hustle” culture of the US), that the “receiving” feels like a bad thing. In fact, it is only by receiving that we can continue to do (sound like self-care, anyone?).

When you tap into your divine feminine energy, you feel an energy of allowing. It is about acceptance, peace, patience and love. This allows you to open your heart more fully, and to come into balance with different parts of yourself that may have been dormant before.

Self care is also an essential part of our journey to find who we are meant to be. If you aren't taking care of yourself, you are going to be constantly worn out and living in survival mode. When all of your life is focused on survival, you aren't really living. Sure, you are alive, but you aren't embracing your own aliveness.

When you make yourself and your self care a priority, you are telling your mind, body and spirit that you matter. That your needs matter. This is a first step towards honoring your deepest and truest self. So, I urge you, take a little time each day for yourself and your own wellbeing.

The more you honor yourself and your needs, the more you will come into alignment with the highest version of yourself.

As you begin this new year in 2024, take some time to go within. This is a time when nature sleeps and renews herself. Animals hibernate. Plants sleep. Allow yourself to do the same. Take some time to rest and renew yourself. Then, when the spring comes, you will be ready for growth and action again.