Resolutions Reconsidered
It’s Sunday today: a day that’s pretty much universally accredited as a day of rest, of recharge, of respite. For some it’s laundry day. It’s time-to-get-things-in-order day. It’s the transitioning period from the sweet period of rest that is our two-day weekend into the motions and flow of a new work week. Not only is it Sunday as I type this, it’s the 30th of January, the day before the final day of January.
As I was doing my own Sunday ritual of laundry, planning, scheduling, tidying, reading, and coffee drinking, I started to think about the “New Year Resolutions” we tend to all establish, without fail, every single year. They’re our intentions for the year, our goals, things we wish to work on, accomplish, and achieve. But this year, I want things to be different.
You know when you look at someone who is just unapologetically themselves? They have their own established interests and niche hobbies. Their own sense of style, of expression. They know what they like and do things they like because they just f*cking like it, simple. They do what they want for themselves. Last year, my “resolution” was to be this person. To allow yourself that expressive freedom is a self-righteous act, one that allows room for creativity and self expansion. And it’s safe to say I did it, on my terms.
But how? How do you measure that? How do you make a resolution like that and keep it? In what ways do you hold yourself accountable and in check throughout the year? And what do I want from this year if I have become that person?
Maybe this year you didn’t write down tangible resolutions on paper. Maybe you had a few broad ideas in your head. Or maybe you jotted some goals down with no actual plan of attack. As the first month of the year comes to an end, it’s time to reconsider your resolutions. If you wrote any down, great! Check in with yourself. Have you made progress? Are you working towards them actively? Are you scheduling time for yourself to embody the thoughts of your dream self? If not, it’s okay. More than okay.
This is the part where it gets reeeeaallly fun. It’s time to go shopping in the universe of boundless possibilities. Take out your journal and just bask in your idealized self. How does she present herself? What does she think about? Who does she allow in her life? What are her relationships like? How do people treat her? Is her life easy? Does she get everything she wants? You’re walking through the aisles of the grocery store, basket in hand, reaching out and grabbing traits, qualities, and habits of the person you are going to become.
It should feel light, airy. It shouldn’t feel like a chore. It should make you feel good, excited, and ready to step into a state of conscious creation. Because every single trait you wrote down is quite literally already inside of you. The only thing between you and that version of yourself is your current habits and rituals and patterns. Take note of the way you speak to yourself. Would dream-you disrespect herself? Would she downplay your achievements? Would she criticize herself? She obviously wouldn’t; if you wouldn’t take that disrespect from anyone else, don’t take it from yourself.
Take note of the assumptions and narratives you’ve created in your life. Throw all the negative assumptions out the window [relationships don’t work for me i’m always left out money is hard to get i am hard to commit to things don’t work out for me] and start affirming.
