Author: ArtsyChowRoamer

Rethinking New Year’s Resolutions

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN

Seems like I just put up the Christmas stuff and now it’s New Years and time to work on those pesky resolutions. When did everything start to go by so fast? 🤔

Remember when you were a kid and it seemed like it took forever for Christmas to get here? You just couldn’t sleep for the long waiting time to get to the tree and open gifts from Santa. Now it all speeds by in a train wreck of a flash.

I used to make New Years resolutions every year. I would mull over what I thought I had not been doing right and what I should be doing differently (hint: it usually involved weight, working out and not calling home enough). I’m not alone apparently. According to surveys around 30% of people do the same thing.

But where did this whole resolution and New Years thing come from? The ancient Babylonians had the first recorded celebrations but they happened in March to coincide with the planting season. There were promises to repay the gods and give respect to the King and so forth.

The Egyptians also celebrated by making sacrifices to the gods. Then Julius Caesar changed the calendar making January 1st the first day of the year and the Romans began making their own sacrifices and promises of better behavior in the coming year.

I too would strike bargains and set out to do better; cause that’s what we all want right? I would do it for awhile and then I would slide back into old habits. Do you or am I the only one? Does it bother you? Is it bad that it has quit bothering me? 😬

PLANNING THE YEAR

I mean I still sit down and think about resolutions but maybe that’s why the process is doomed to fail. Resolutions sounds so ominous and got to do right? What I am going to do differently this year is to think about my life and goals all around in a big picture way and not just try to fix specific things.

Have you set your goals for this year? Are you thinking about what it would take to make you happier and/or healthier?

Are you clear eyed on how to get there or are you still thinkin’ it through? Don’t worry cause you are no different than the rest of us!

We are all up to our eyeballs in day to day life. It is fast; moving forward at a terrifying speed with no end in sight for the ever changing world of tech and it’s effects on it.

It ain’t easy! There is really no such thing as a simple life anymore (unless you want to give up phones, computers, tech stuff and move to an isolated island somewhere).

New Years Evolutions

MORNING PAGES

But I digress, as I said I am rethinking New Years resolutions. Maybe they should really be called New Years evolutions! Meaning that we should sit down and write out what we want, where we’re going and how we want to get there.

If you read some of my earlier blogs (if not-start here) you know that I am an ENFP personality type. It’s a real thing-look it up. I do what is called morning pages most every day. An exercise I read about in a book by Julia Cameron called The Artists Way.

Morning pages helps you solidify ideas, think things through, isolate your feelings and become more in touch with them. Writing things down has a way of making them come true. Try it yourself.

There are all kinds of examples of this phenomena. Like the time the actor, Jim Carrey, wrote out a check to himself for a million dollars and put it in his wallet. Within two years, the check was coming in to him for real. It is why people construct vision boards and look at them every day. The pictures are like writing it down.

VISUALIZING SUCCESS

In other words, building it and looking at it every day is just like writing it down. What you talk about, write about and look at every day is what you are telling the universe to send your way.

It works in the negative too. I know more then a few examples of the speakers of negative that seem to get exactly what they ask for over and over without seemingly understanding why.

The energy you put out is the energy you get back. Simple concept and one that I am going to practice rather than making more New Years resolutions. Have I stopped worrying about things? No.

But I am trying to evolve into being more like my old friend Shelby; “worry the hell out of it on Thursdays from 2-4 and then just go on about your business”. Good advice! 🤣

CONCLUSION

I hope this post gave you a few things to think about and some helpful tips. New Years can be stressful. Especially if you feel compelled to make resolutions that you have trouble keeping.

Putting your hopes and dreams down in writing with small achievable steps to help you get there is a great way to start a change in your life. You are evolving instead of resolving.

Evolutions seems like the better course of action. It makes me feel more empowered about my future. How about you? Try morning pages. If you like what you read, you might also want to read more blogs under Just Because. Hey, don’t be a stranger! Let me hear about what you struggle with and what your thoughts on resolutions might be OK? Happy New Year Constant Reader! Until next time…

Cheers,

ArtsyChowRoamer

TO MY READERS: This post was updated with new info, pics and video on 9/3/20

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