New Year, New Goals

I know that we are on day four of the new year, but I cannot help but feel a little overwhelmed by all the proclamations people are making related to their new year resolutions.  I think it is great that people want to focus on bettering their lives or work on something they have been neglecting.  I will be your biggest cheerleader in achieving your goals. 

It is, however, a bit overwhelming if every post I see on social media is about the lists people have vowed to make their resolutions.  As a person who does not make resolutions, but rather am constantly working at making myself healthier and happier for myself and to be tolerable for the people around me (sarcasm), I cannot help but cringe at the thought that I don’t have something to share.  I know, I know, the social media war of feeling pressured to post about the hot topic the entire world is posting about should not interfere with my mind…but it does.

 

I am choosing to believe that I am not the only person making this observation.  I think social media amplifies our need to be part of something, which I think we are all seeking on some level.  After putting our lives on pause due to the pandemic, now more than ever we are trying to bond with people, we need to feel accepted; it is part of the human experience.  We need that connection.

 

Personally, I do not want to feel pressured to keep lists and announce resolutions.  I believe that growth is a personal experience, and the chaos of social media infringes on your individual progress.  I think it is hard to stay focused when other people are posting about how fast they are achieving the success we may want to achieve.  The reality is that we all grow at different speeds.  Some storms come and go and make us stronger and allow us to stand taller and other storms beat us down and we must slowly regain our footing to push forward. 

 

I say this because I think we all lack compassion for ourselves and each other.  I think we tend to highlight our failures and beat ourselves up when we don’t achieve our goals or break our resolutions.  It is okay to have setbacks.  It is okay to start and not finish, the trick is to pick it back up.  Giving up is so easy but being uncomfortable for a little while is much more rewarding once you reach your goal. 

 

I am choosing to use this time to reflect on the past year and pat myself on the back for the growth I see in myself.  I am also choosing to be compassionate towards myself and not worry about making lists that will only stress me out and result in stress eating. 

 

I will admit that this past year has not been the best for my fitness.  I have made excuses for not working out and allowed myself to snack on the foods that I banned when I started on my fitness journey a few years ago.  I took the time to allow my body to heal from the high intensity interval training I was doing.  I do miss the comradery of going to OTF and feeling accomplished after a power day, and perhaps when I get more comfortable with the state of the health crisis, I will return. For now, I will maybe scale back on my favorite treats and work at getting back into the working out state of mind.  I am not going to beat myself up for taking time off.  I know that I will pick it back up.  I live in my body, and I choose how to love it.  Remember that the next time someone tries to have an input on your diet, your style, your look, your body.  You choose how you love your body. 

 

The past year has had its up and downs and I expended a lot of my energy on situations and people who were not worth my energy.  I need to recenter myself and continue to make the strides I have been making in my therapy and focus on writing and working on the projects I have put on the backburner.  I want to use my energy creating and sharing my talents with those around me.  I want to use my energy on being creative and being loving and kind to others.  I know that sounds generic, but I think we all need a little more love and kindness, and we need to be that change for ourselves and those around us.

 

 

After a year of devastation from a global pandemic, I want to focus on living happily.  That may require a lot of play time with my dog Charles, lots of snuggles with my cat Archibald, and blasting lots of Mariah or Britney.  Whatever puts a smile on my face and keeps me pushing forward.  The takeaway from the past year is to find positivity in every moment of doubt or sadness.  We need that sadness to appreciate the happy moments in life, but we do not need to relinquish our power to those moments. 

 

Whether you are choosing to participate in the yearly tradition or are refraining, I think we are all anxious to see if this year will be better than the last.  So, let’s celebrate and rejoice in the new year. Let this year bring healing and happiness to you all.