January brings us into a new year. Did you know that January is named after the Greek god Janus?
Janus was often depicted with two faces, one looking back and one facing forward. Although being two-faced is often seen as a bad trait, it could prove helpful at this time of year.
As we ring in 2017, we have the opportunity to reflect on the year behind us, and look forward to a fresh year ahead.
By now the drone of Christmas carols has given way to the fervor of New Year’s Resolutions. Are you going to resolve to lose weight, get out of debt, unplug, spend more time with the kids or finally learn how to play the harmonica?
Recent statistics tell us that of the 45% of Americans that usually make New Year’s Resolutions, only 8% are successful in achieving their resolution.
So I resolve not to make a New Year’s Resolution this year and invite you to join me. Unless you tend to be one of the 8%, let’s sidestep the pressure and guilt this year.
I propose we redirect our energy, to forgive, celebrate and keep moving forward.
Forgive
If you are a human being, then at some point during the last year, you dropped the ball, missed a deadline, forgot to make cupcakes for the bake sale or experienced any number of other mishaps, mistakes or accidents.
So what? If you aren’t messing up you are not alive.
Give yourself permission to let go of all last year’s failings and move into 2017 with a clean slate. Why carry all that guilt, shame and self-loathing forward?
I know, easier said than done. The only thing that may be harder than keeping a New Year’s Resolution is self-forgiveness, especially for women. Why is it easier for a woman to forgive a man for cheating than herself for being five minutes late to an appointment?
Remind yourself that you are human, each of us makes mistakes, all the time, and that is okay.
Allow yourself to think about your mistakes and regrets from last year, for the last time. Now imagine them as helium balloons and let them go, one by one, and watch them float away.
Celebrate
Although you did not succeed at everything, you must have succeeded at something. So celebrate, celebrate it all, the big wins and the little gains.
Take some time and look back on 2016 with an eye to the things you did well. What do you have to celebrate?
Did you accomplish a goal? Even if you only checked off the first step toward a goal, high five for you.
Did you make a change for the better this year? Even if it was a tiny change, chalk it up as a win.
Make a personal Top 10 of 2016. It’s for you, and nobody else has to see it. I recommend putting the list on your phone. When you are having a not so great day in 2017, you can pull it up to remind yourself of your rock star status.
That’s right, we are all rock stars in our lives, so celebrate your 2016 accomplishments like one.
Keep Moving Forward
2017 is not a leap year, but I want you to take a leap with me. Let’s jump into 2017, hit the ground running and not look back. Are you with me?
Since we are not making a 2017 New Year’s Resolution, we will not regret not making a resolution. See, we are already less stressed entering 2017. Yay us.
All you need to do from here on out is keep on doing the things that work in your life. If it brings you joy, try to do more of it. If it feeds your soul, pile as much of that on your plate as you can handle.
We might take a running start at 2017, but please keep in mind that this is not a race. There are no medals at the end, and you might trip, and maybe even land on your face. Ouch!
Don’t panic, don’t even look back to see what tripped you up, dust yourself off and just keep going.
You’ve got this.
2017 is going to be a killer year for you.
Happy New Year.
Author: Mariana Norton
Email: [email protected]
Author Bio: Mariana Norton is a mother of two who are getting too big too fast. She’s a book lover, dedicated coffee drinker, nature enthusiast and weaver of words.
Link to social media or website: https://www.instagram.com/pengal/
