I have never been a big fan of New Year’s celebrations.  I love the idea of spending the night with people you love, but I don’t have to get dressed up, blow noisemakers, and be out with thousands of other people to do that.  I prefer intimate gatherings of friends, soft comfy warm clothes, good music, a fireplace, and some nice hot beverages.

New Year’s is just a day, like all the other days in the year.  Our calendar date for the new year is arbitrary and there are other cultures that have a different date for the new year.  I do, however, like the symbolism of new years as a time of transition.  It is out with the old, in with the new.  It is a time of renewal.

This idea of transition from one year to the next is why people make resolutions.  I am not a big fan of resolutions either although in the past, I have always made them.  This year, I am going to try something different.  Thanks for the suggestion Deloa!

One problem I see with resolutions, at least for me, is that the resolution adds something I want to do onto my life, but my life is already full. Instead of out with the old, in with the new, my resolutions are add-ons and I have left out the part that I have to take something out. That is, I want to: lose weight, get in shape, spend more time with family, strengthen my relationships, etc. but in order to add something in, what I don’t consider is that I have to first let something go to make space for that new thing. I made resolutions and then six weeks later when I don’t have time for them or they are stressing me out, I drop them.  Yet I still keep walking around with the baggage I was carrying in the past year.

So this year, instead of making resolutions, I made two lists.  I made a list of things that aren’t working for me anymore and titled it Releasing.  Then I made another list of Intentions for the new year of changes I wanted to make in my life.  The releasing list has some relationships that aren’t working for me as well as organizations I belonged to that weren’t adding any value to my life, activities that I no longer do but still have gear for, etc. The intention list has the new relationships I want to cultivate, behaviors that I want to adopt, and activities I want to explore.  Beside each item on each list I am finding a symbol or a photo that represents each thing.  At midnight I am going to take my Releasing list and throw it into the fire, symbolically releasing the things that aren’t working for me, then I am going to throw my Intentions list into the fire and offer it up to the universe.

This might sound a little “out there” but really, is it any worse than making a resolution that I give up six weeks later?  In the past, I have found that by putting my intentions, dreams, hopes and desires out to the universe that it opens up the space for it to happen. It doesn’t always happen in the way I had envisioned, but nonetheless, I can create the life I want.

Here is the key…whatever you do, whether it is make a resolution or throw intentions into a fire, you have to believe, really believe, that you are worthy.  The energy you give off will come back to you. If you believe that you are worthy of happiness, love, success, abundance, joy…then that is what you will create.  But if deep down, you believe something else, then that is the energy that you are giving off and that is the energy that is going to gravitate back to you.  So whatever your intentions are, put them out to the universe with your whole heart.  In a few weeks, if you aren’t keeping your goals or working toward them, ask yourself if you truly believe you are worthy.  And if not, what is it that is holding you back?

“We can either watch life from the sidelines, or actively participate… Either we let self-doubt and feelings of inadequacy prevent us from realizing our potential, or embrace the fact that when we turn our attention away from ourselves, our potential is limitless.” ~Christopher Reeve

Happy New Year!