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!