The Kristin Chronicles: 26 December 2017
New Year's Dawn
Each day is a fresh start, every sunrise is a new beginning.
At the end of a year, an even more powerful reality dawns.
When a new year begins, it's a new phase of life, a new season, a new dawning.
This year is drawing to an end. I will no longer write "2017" on the corner of a fresh sheet of paper. Instead, a new number shall appear: 2018.
This change is not just relevant to time, but to transformation as well.
When we hang a new calendar & write a new digit at the end of the date, we are washing away the past year, in a sense—wiping away the old by ushering in the new.
The "2017 me" is a thing of the past.
To usher is to guide someone somewhere, or to mark the start of something new. Ushering in a new year by establishing new year's goals & resolutions achieves both of those definitions as we guide ourselves to a better future & mark the start of a new season within our personal lives.
A goal is a specific result or particular achievement towards which one's attention & efforts are directly aimed at. I set goals to pursue a specific physical reality: fitness goals, career goals, & so on & so forth.
A resolution is a formal expression of determining or resolving upon a particular course of action. I establish resolutions to manifest a certain mental or spiritual reality: self-love, self-respect, self-worth, faith, patience, peace, forgiveness, & gratitude.
Establishing a few goals to enhance our external reality & a few resolutions to improve our internal reality is a worthwhile endeavour that can truly pay off when effectively approached.
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Before we begin a new year, the old year must be bid farewell. Making peace with the past assures the successful progress of moving forward.
Meditate on the past twelve months, both the good & the bad, the positive & the negative, the joyous & the painful. A few questions I've found helpful to ponder are:
What leaps of faith & risks taken paid off? What did you learn about yourself in the process? How can that be applied to this new year, to both boldly & wisely step out in humble confidence? Pursuing dreams is more effective when smart risks are taken.
What self-limiting beliefs have & still are holding you back from unleashing your true potential?
What pains from this year could have been avoided by wiser decisions along the way? What lessons learned may be applied to this new year to avoid repeating horrid history? It is said that "hindsight is 20/20." We often only see the seemingly obvious when we look back, & in doing so we may learn a lot about how to make better choices in the future.
What personal boundaries were set that you were proud of yourself for? What personal boundaries were never established that should have been, & what were the consequences? What wisdom regarding personal boundaries might you enter this new year with in mind? We can express self-love by refusing to tolerate less than we deserve. Cultivating self-worth is a beautiful practice that pays off in may other ways.
What regrets do you have from this year, whether mistakes made or things left undone that you wished you had finished?
What friendships proved stronger than ever, & how can you express your gratitude for & loyalty towards that friendship? It's important to have good people along your journey.
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Ushering in a new year is far more than just celebrating or welcoming it. To usher in a new year means to guide the new year. Establishing specific goals & resolutions for a new year forces us to focus our attention only on what truly matters to us.
Where are our priorities? What elements of life are most important to us? What dreams are worth chasing? What people are worth investing in? What passions do I care about enough to truly pursue? What do we want out of life? What experiences do we desire?
Establishing resolutions & setting goals for this new year is an act of manifestation as we take steps to creating our own reality & growing into our best version possible. This is most effective if started in November or early December, but better late than never! Having that month or two to meditate on life can lead to beautiful insights & internal observations.
This practice demonstrates our personal power to create our own reality, to shape the stars of fate & curve the road that destiny travels, to adjust the pen writing life's marvelous tale. This is how we can decide who we want to be & where we intend to direct our lives in the months to come.
Meditate on what you want the next year to look like:
What type of person do I want to be in this new year? What sort of character & what level of integrity do I deem satisfactory for me to express to the world?
What do I want the next twelve months to represent?
What do I want to accomplish, pursue, achieve?
What type of person do I want to be?, from the personal truth I find peace in to how I appear to society.
What are some primary goals regarding personal growth? (Minimum of 3 but the more the merrier.)
What are some hobbies I would be proud of pursuing?, from personal activities to social events.
What are some personal goals I would appreciate pursuing?, generic or specific, personal or for business, with a deadline or freelance.
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After deep consideration of such questions, & after a thorough evaluation of the self & of life, goals & resolutions may be brainstormed on paper.
It's important to write only with conviction. The mishaps occur when goals are made haphazardly & there is no follow-through, instilling an inaccurate feeling of failure within one's self. There simply is no room for "I could or should," for that only leads to disappointment in one's ability to conquer goals heart never truly desired.
New Year's goals & resolutions are a promise to ourselves that that a bright & beautiful future is at the tip of our fingers, written in the stars for our story. It expresses our willingness to fight for that future & to work towards it no matter the obstacles & no matter the cost. Greatness only comes with great passion, discipline, & even personal sacrifice as we choose what is best for us rather than what our flawed human impulses sway us towards.
Establishing goals or resolutions finalizes a fresh start so we may face it fearlessly & strategically.
💠•••🔹•••ðŸ’
{The Kristin Chronicles: 26 December 2017.}