Here in the northern hemisphere the natural rhythm of the new year is one of a return to growth. But the change doesn't happen instantly. There are all sorts of steps and conditions that have to be met before the results of that shift can be seen. It’s the same with the changes you want to see in your life.
What's difficult about traditional January resolutions is that they try to jump right into June when in reality the sun is just beginning it's journey back to a place that can nourish growth. The angle of the sun and its time in the sky undergo a dramatic transformation between now and summer, but each day’s change is accomplished through a small steady increment.
Resolutions are fun (and give a great dopamine hit) because we are imagining the future when they have come into being. We are imagining June and we like that. Like the picture of a beautiful flower on a packet of seeds, your idea of what’s coming can be fully formed from the the moment you have it. But the difference between a resolution that is a cut flower in a vase offering a few days of beauty or a plant that keeps giving you many beautiful blooms, comes down to the actions you take over time. Neither is wrong it’s just really important not to lie to ourselves about which one we are after and why.
When our idea for ourselves is like growing the plant we must have room for the passage of time and all sorts of challenges and setbacks. It’s your attachment to the result that lets you meet those challenges and keep taking action. It’s definitely easier to go buy the flower that someone else grew and enjoy it for a couple of days. But that’s appreciation, not your contribution. You are more than capable of bringing your dreams for this world into being this year. There will be lots of challenges and pauses and even failed attempts. They never mean you have to give up.
Can you be gently relentless with your thoughts about what you want to bring into the world?
If you’d like a little support in learning How to Give Yourself Permission to make these and any changes in your life why not download my short audio course? I’ll help you understand what permission is, and isn’t, and how to make decisions and take actions towards what you want in the world.
I’ll be back all this week with more thoughts and permission for your New Year start!
See you then!
Susie