Happy NOW Year!

As I opened the box, I saw the card inside and read it as 'Happy now year'. Instantly I corrected myself but stopped. 

"Happy NOW year...."

It was one of those moments I intuitively knew that there was a deeper meaning than just misreading a word on a piece of card.

Little did this person know that the real gift lay not in the present, but on the card they wrote on.

I decided to contemplate it for a while. What happened next was like following a piece of string to see where it led, finding bits of clues along the way and piecing them together to form a bigger picture.

The Power of Now

When we hear a word, phrase or saying enough times it can become a cliche. Unless we pay it attention and allow it to become meaningful in our lives. One way this happens is in a moment of inspiration, in other words, a flash of insight.

This grasping of the 'inner nature of things intuitively' is an eye opening experience and can lead to a profound journey of discovery. 

And that's exactly what happened when I opened that box. 

Every year starts with the same greeting...HAPPY NEW YEAR! New...we pin that word before everything we do with the start of another year. New you, new habits, new year resolutions, and so on. 

Our minds switch to a NEW mindset....which rarely lasts more than a few days because old habits die hard.

Every moment can be a new start if we decide it to be. Every morning, every Monday, Every month, usually all hold some form of new beginning. 

But when you think about it all we have is NOW! And in the now, in the present there is power! It is in the now we cultivate new habits, can change our mind, practice mindfulness, make decisions. 

New year resolutions are mostly always based on the future and the past. The future; when we make resolutions we're thinking only of tomorrow. The past; when we're trying to keep up a decision we made in the past. And as time passes, the resolution we made begins to fade into the past and we lose interest. We rarely ever think about the now when it comes to new beginnings.

Now what?

So now what? Without going into everything that I realized as I followed this idea, I suggest a journaling exercise this week...

By your bed write your main goal, resolution or intention you made for the year. Also keep your journal to hand. Each day make a conscious effort to live in the present as much as you can. It is difficult I know. Try not to think about the past or future when it comes to your resolution. Give that resolution, goal or intention the gift of now. Ask yourself how does my resolution apply today? How can I cultivate this habit in this moment in this day? Then at the end of the day journal what you felt, and anything else you learned or that came to mind. 

Observe your day everyday for a week, in the context of your resolution. You may be surprised at what you learn. Even deciding to tweak a few things. 

I have been doing this exercise myself  for a week now and I'm surprised at what has come up.

Old, deeply routed fears that have been ingrained in me since birth. I saw them for the first time for what they were. And I realized that if I wanted to progess any further in my goals, I would have to deal with these.

And that's what it's all about...allowing our resolutions to be so much more than a single change because we decided the new year would be a good time to start. You start every day, moment by moment and constantly learn and grow. Even if your goal is to lose some weight...you'll find it's probably going to be more about deeper issues...not just about self-esteem but saying no, living your truth, following your passion, finding a new group of friends...etc etc. 

So happy NOW year! Let's make each moment count! 

If you're a member of my Patreon, there's a post revealing what happened next! https://www.patreon.com/posts/33091020

New Year, True You

The other day I was reflecting on the saying, 'New Year, New You', and it occurred to me. What does 'New You' mean exactly? This was when I had something of a revelation. 

We are all made up of the beliefs and teachings we've been brought up. Even through adulthood as we watch the news, are influenced by social media, our culture and the system. We then act accordingly. Rarely do people question anything they read...nowhere is this seen more than on Facebook posts where something relevant to 2017 is posted three years later because people don't double check the facts. 

When we use the term 'New You', it is usually used in the context of the new year when people want to drop bad habits or learn to start setting boundaries.

But I would argue, and this is where I had my revelation, that really it's never about 'becoming new'. Our true and best version of ourselves is always there. Your higher self is with you always. But we are mostly operating not from that place, but through the beliefs we adopt, lies we believe, limiting beliefs we hold, the system we live in and so on.

In order to live up to our fullest potential we will need to do a lot of unlearning, dropping many of these layers we've formed over the years which are hiding who we really are. 

So here's a thought, instead of new year, new you, what about New Year, True You?! Instead of dropping bad habits to adopt new ones, how about we start unlearning and letting go of limiting beliefs, stop worrying what people think of us and embrace your quirks.

Our gifts are mostly hidden because of these layers we have. But these layers make us feel safe and so we hold onto them. It feels safer to drop a bad habit or two than it does letting go of limiting beliefs and questioning the system we live in. That would require a certain amount of vulnerability. 

We all have everything we need within us. Science is making great leaps of discovery in this area. The law of attraction may sound like some new age fad, but there is a lot of truth to be found in it. It's not about positive thinking but so much more. In fact it has a lot to do with believing in yourself and embodying your true, higher self. 

I like the analogy of the phoenix in this respect. It dies and rises from the ashes to live again. I think this is something we need to do, the ashes being all the limiting, false beliefs we have. 

But in order to live our truth we must first dare...dare to believe in ourselves and in the potential within us just waiting to be tapped into. 

So rather than repeating the mantra New Year, New You, what if you replaced it with New Year, True You!? That would certainly make for an interesting year indeed!