OH MY GOSH YOU GUYS, IT’S 2019!
Isn’t it crazy that a new year means so many things are supposed to change? We get told that basically everything we’ve been doing for the past year isn’t good enough, so we better get busy because we’re not skinny enough, we eat too much, we don’t “organize” enough, blah blah blah. We’re supposed to all of a sudden create all these BS New Year’s resolutions (yes, in my head I said the actual word-but I’ll refrain from typing it 😉). And then, within a few months we’ve “failed” the resolutions and feel even worse about ourselves than when we started. It should never be “new year, new me”, because this implies that for some reason, we aren’t enough. We ARE enough.
What if we shifted the conversation? What if we recognized that over the course of the last year we’ve grown so much, that we’ve gone through some pretty crazy lows, but also some pretty awesome highs? I still struggle with thinking “I’m not where I should be”; it’s quite literally one of my favorite things to say to myself. But then I catch a glimpse of myself doing something that I would have been TERRIFIED to do a year ago. And THAT is what we should be carrying with us. When we feel love, accomplishment, success, gratitude, etc., we should pause and let those words fill us up. Feelings of love expand if we let them. The next time you feel something like that, close your eyes and focus on that word for a minute or two. It will expand, and you will feel awesome. The next time you lie to yourself and say you’re not enough, give yourself 30s; the negative feeling is fear based and it won’t expand. Once it passes, take the next step forward-doesn’t have to be a big leap, just a step.
There are always ways to improve who we are, but that doesn’t mean we have to throw out who we’ve been until now. We should set new goals, new intentions, and create new visions for ourselves. And we should surround ourselves with people who will support us through the process. Our paths are all unique, each one of us is who we are today because of our own personal road. Don’t let anything or anyone take away where you’ve been and what you’ve accomplished. My hope for you (and for myself) in 2019 is that we recognize that where we are in life is EXACTLY where we are meant to be, and that we will be surrounded with love and joy as we reach an even better version of ourselves.
I wish you all love, health and happiness in 2019!
♥Ashley
