Now that we are past January . . .are you keeping your resolutions? Or did you even make any?
On New Year’s Day, most of us wake up with a renewed sense of potential and possibility – unless of course a nasty champagne hangover keeps us from even getting out of bed. We tend to make resolutions which are usually promises to do something “more, better, or different” as our society seems to revolve around this concept. We vow to exercise more, get a better job, or find a different way to handle our stress. But does this really do us any good? Most of us start the New Year with the greatest of intentions of keeping our resolutions, yet by March we may not find ourselves so “resolved.” We revert back to old patterns and our resolutions become as nostalgic as the person we kissed at midnight. Could there be a different approach to kicking off 2019 that serves us better?
Every year, I take a different approach to resolutions. I resolve not to make any. I realized by focusing on how to make myself or something in my life more, better, or different was completely judgmental and not particularly inspiring. Instead, I take a new approach to January – the month of new beginnings.
On December 31st every year, I do a “Year in Review.” Month by month I reminisce about events that happened, people I met, places I visited, lessons I learned, and so on. I record them in my journal and then discuss them over New Year’s Eve dinner or sometime in early January. What is so great about looking at the year in this way is I am able to notice how I have grown and express gratitude for all the year’s blessings. I feel a sense of completeness with the previous year. What is also interesting is to think about the ways of being or habits that I’d like to leave behind. We all have our regrets and learning experiences, yet a lot of us tend to cling to them much longer than we need to.
So make New Year’s about manifestation rather than resolutions! Here what I did to kick of 2019: I sat quietly with a candle lit and wrote down all the things I want to happen in my life this year. I wrote down everything I could think of and covered the front and back of the page. As I finished, I felt a sense of hopefulness and excitement rather than the feelings of obligation and pressure I used to feel after making those silly resolutions.
If completing 2018 and manifesting 2019 sounds appealing to you, it is not too late! Follow this process and feel free to amend it any way that inspires you:
1. In a journal, go through each month, beginning in January 2018, and write down anything that you remember – blessings, struggles, funny moments and so on.
2. After you have gone through the year, write down what things you would like to leave in 2018. For example, being obsessed with an ex, bad eating habits, over use of a substance, consistent self-scrutiny, road rage, and so on.
3. Share your year in review with someone close to you who is part of your life. See what they recall, reminisce, share a couple laughs.
4. Make a toast or light a candle to the end of 2018. Let go.
5. The next day will be your day to manifest 2019. Light a new candle, put on relaxing music, crawl into bed, and set the mood.
6. Grab a blank sheet of unlined paper. As a suggestion, you may want to write at the top, “I, your name, do lovingly manifest the following without any harm to myself or others. And so it is.”
7. Without thinking or analyzing, write down anything and everything that comes to mind. Be specific, be creative and think big. Write until your brain is empty – don’t worry about being greedy! Important: Write everything in present tense! I am…
8. Fold your paper up, stick it into a plain envelope that you label “2019” and slip it under your mattress.
9. As much as you may be tempted to open it or add something to your list, do not open it again until the end of this year when you do your 2019 year in review.
10. On or around New Year’s conduct your 2019 year in review.
11. Start 2020 with a new year of manifestation.
What is great about writing down a list of what we want is that it puts it out into the universe. The trick is to not be shy about stating what you want, but at the same time have no attachment or expectation of whether or not you get it. REMEMBER: write things in the “I am” and use verbs to enthusiastically express what you want. For instance, “I am joyfully cleaning out my garage and enjoying the new organization and extra space.”
No matter what, resolve to live your life in line with what you truly want to manifest. Rid yourself of any emotional, mental, physical, or interpersonal clutter so that you can get out of your own way. @ChristinHassler (Click to Tweet!)
And finally, get excited about 2019, it is going to be a terrific year . . . as long as YOU make it one!
Love
Christine
P.S. I have a new podcast where I coach people LIVE on the air. Head over to Over it and On With It and listen in for inspiration and action steps.
Christine Hassler has broken down the complex and overwhelming experience of recovering from disappointment into a step-by-step treatment plan in her new book Expectation Hangover. This book reveals the formula for how to process disappointment on the emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual levels to immediately ease suffering. Instead of wallowing in regret, self-recrimination, or anger, we can see these experiences as catalysts for profound transformation and doorways that open to possibility. You can find more info on her website, and follow her on Twitter and FB.
Image courtesy of Stock Snap.
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