Happy 2023
Happy, Hopeful New Year….
I always feel inspired and excited by the fresh-start, clean-slate, reset-feelings that come with a brand new year. So much possibility to really live as I envision, a way that makes me feel alive and purposeful. I know what this looks like for me in general. I can easily project 6 months or a year out and see who I have become. What I see less clearly is the process, the daily-ness, the necessary small, important steps.
American author Annie Dillard said, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” And yet, this only became obvious to me after encountering the sentiment so plainly put.
How do you spend your days?
I’m not going to lie, though. I also have a habit of seeing my own disappointment before it happens. Mind chatter starts up and can feel like the boss of me. We’ve all experienced that any change, even the good kind, is stressful and hard enough that reverting to former habits might feel inevitable. The truth is, when self-talk generates negative feelings - anxiety, fatigue, lack of motivation, indecision, or general crumminess - it is a sure sign that we are being lied to.
What does your mind chatter try to get you to believe?
Every new year holds a tantalizing promise just by virtue of yet being unwritten, but this new one, 2023 - hot on the tail of a multi-year period so fraught with alarming world events that use of the word “unprecedented” is unprecedented - feels especially compelling. And so, to share this seed of hope, I’m stepping a little ways outside my introvert cocoon to declare my NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION for 2023, in the form of answering this question for myself:
How healthy can I be?
To get to larger goals we employ the skill of awareness, which leads to clarity, then specificity, commitment, and finally follow-through. To help me with the daily-ness I mention above, I break it down into:
What I consume (and WHY)
How I think (and WHY)
The actions I take (and WHY)
Keeping the WHY at the center of each of these categories guards against getting distracted by, and ultimately lost within, the WHAT and the HOW. All are essential for any journey, of course, but WHAT is our backpack, HOW our map, and WHY our compass.
How often do you consider your WHY?
WHAT I CONSUME is obviously about much more than food. However, food - literally the fuel that keeps us alive- is also a way to connect with others, to bond and love and celebrate and comfort. Part joyful gift, part sensual experience, having enough quality food inspires profound gratitude…that most delicious feeling.
What makes sense and feels right to me is to commit whole-heartedly in 2023 to a lifestyle-diet that best answers my How healthy can I be question. And while I’m committing to the mechanics of gratefully choosing the best fuel for my body, I will also jettison all angst and drama surrounding food and eating. No doubt this will be an ongoing thought process, and I deserve to give it the attention it requires.
Of course, food isn’t all we consume. I also carefully curate what energy I allow into my personal sphere. I’m learning, finally, that if I’m depleted by my own empathy, I’m not doing it well. Being my most compassionate, and therefore effective as a helper, is to hold loving and clear boundaries. Other sources of energy to manage include news/opinion media, social media, agendas, and disinformation. Instead I turn to all realms of healing; sources that build generosity, connection, and enthusiasm.
What are you consuming?
HOW I THINK: Mental Fitness is the foundational first step of all my wellness coaching, and I practice what I preach for the simple reason that it works. As we start to recognize our own flavor of sabotaging thoughts we can call out their often absurd and nonsensical lies and instead choose to see things as they really are. This elegantly straightforward process creates profound relief from a variety of emotional pain, and clears the deck for creativity, zest, and purpose. Some other concepts I keep front of mind:
We are all perfectly imperfect.
Good enough is good enough.
The greatest illusion in this world is the illusion of separateness.
There is only love.
What thoughts do you notice yourself having?
Finally, my guide to WHAT ACTIONS I TAKE is to add beauty to the world. It's been my great fortune to have done this all my life as a musician, and I continue the path now by identifying and practicing as a wellness coach as well as a teacher of singing. Helping others through this life in their own way is my personal heart’s desire, my soul's satisfaction, and one more way to answer, How healthy can I be?
How are your actions reflecting your goals?
And so, delighting in the symmetry of a brand new year starting on the first day of the week, I wish each of you a 2023 filled with possibility, creativity, and optimism!
In Wellness, Ease, and Flow,
Barbara
P.S. If you care to share how you answered any of the questions here, I would love to listen!