There is a mountain of unfinished resolutions behind me. Luckily, I’ve let that disappointment go and simply accepted that they just can’t all get done. Some were too big. Others, too boring. Others, well…everyone is lazy sometimes.
Maybe, there just wasn’t enough momentum behind the resolution. Not enough caring. Not enough personal desire to change. Adopting a new discipline is hard. It can be worth the effort (Look at the pounds go! Look at my business flourish!). But without real passion behind your resolutions and dreams, it seems astronomically unlikely that they will ever happen.
This year, ask yourself: How do you want to feel? What if instead of accomplishing something specific, you focused every day on feeling more joyful? More ecstatic? More spiritual? More grounded? With that kind of resolution, your day-to-day activities can change dramatically. You won’t be derailed by the unexpected intrusions of life, you simply refocus and incorporate it all into your plan for happiness. Every day, remember, life is really about being happy. And every day, try again to take yourself closer to your joy.
Talked to my dad on Christmas Day, a pretty standard sort of call. “What did Santa bring? What’s for dinner?” - the excited chatter of connecting with someone when the topic just doesn’t matter.
“So, what are you doing for New Year’s?” he asked.
“I don’t know really.”
“Well, I read about a Chinese belief (at least, I think Chinese), where they recommend celbrating the New Year the way you want your year to go. Instead of staying up ’til midnight, banging some pots together, and going to bed, do something a little more meaningful.”
That got the mind buzzing. And it made perfect sense. Why not start manifesting the hopes and dreams of the next year right from the start? Who will you be with on New Year’s Eve and the next day? What will you be thinking about? What will you be doing? And will it be fun? (You want the year to be fun too, right?)
There are so many ways to go about bringing greater intention into the next year. No need to abandon the parties (unless you want to). Perhaps though, wrap your hopes and wishes for the New Year in possibility and excitement. Take them with you to your parties, try them out on a few people. Write them down. Create art around them. Announce them on Facebook. Make them real on New Year’s Day, and watch with curiosity how they unfold throughout 2010.