The New Year - A Vanishing Dream, A New Beginning
Rituals are important... aren't they? We honor so many in our lives; birthdays, graduations, weddings and even funerals are all personal rituals. Holidays create family rituals and resolutions for the next one we plan for. Perhaps none is more traditional than the New Year's resolution, seemingly honored by the masses. What happened to the last resolution? Is it just a vanishing dream as the ball drops, the fireworks explode and we turn not just a day on the calendar, but a new year? What changes so drastically when we turn that final page of our annual calendar?
It's a new beginning with crisp pages that signal we are
starting over. The first day of the first month of a new year this is an
opportunity to turn our attention away from looking in the rear view mirror of
last years near misses and maybe even a few failures and look forward to the
wide expansive image of an entire year of new beginnings. It is a ritual that
forces us to mentally let go of what was and look at what can be. We are able
to fine tune our expectations to include what we have learned last year and
apply them to a prescription for success in this New Year. We are not starting
over from a failure but rather because its time; the world begins a new chapter
when a new year begins. It's OK to close the book of yesteryear and begin a new
dream.
Why do we need this opportunity to begin again? Human nature
forces many of us to hang on far beyond the time when hoped for results are the
expected reality. We are afraid to let go, afraid to close the book lest there
just might be some glimmer of hope that we will get where we imagined we were
going. Something just might not be as it really is, or so we hope. A new year
permits us to pack the old baggage away and carry it out with the tree and the
trimmings. Things that no longer work for us really are just battered, used
decorations we have placed in our lives to divert our attention away from the
things we would rather not look at. A new year brings a new attitude of
trimming off, cutting away and the resolve to make things better for our
future. No wonder we have fireworks and gun shots at midnight! This kind of
celebration triggers our ability to celebrate what is before us, not behind us.
Should you make a resolution this year? By all means; close
this year's book with gratitude for the best that came from opportunities and
your efforts. You begin a new book rather than a new chapter with every New
Year. Fill it with the expectation of joy, good health, abundance, and
opportunities you promise yourself you will not miss. Edit this new book by
crossing out things that failed you, hurt you, and made you miserable or even
fearful. It's your life, your book, your story and your new opportunity. Make
it worth the read at the end of the last chapter of this next New Year!
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