Resolution, Evolution, or Revolution?

The vintage New Year postcard above is in the public domain. I downloaded from the Graphics Fairy and edited it using MS Photo. The pigs in the wreath are for good luck. Pigs represent good luck in many traditions. You can read more about that here and here.

Making resolutions

Often, the kinds of things people put on their New Year's resolution list are directed toward their image of themselves: work out more, eat better. lose weight, make more money. All of these are admirable goals; however, so often the list is created out of a perception of ourselves that has been affected by our internalizing the messages we receive through media and marketing.

We judge ourselves

After a harrowing year of doing the best that we can with what life throws at us, we come to the holidays wanting. Knowing that we've tossed together packaged foods for dinner to save what little time we have, we are aware that we could be healthier. Squeezing in a workout or a walk on a regular basis can be difficult, so we know more exercise would help us feel better. We assess ourselves in comparison to others, and find that we fall short of our expectations of ourselves.

What we really need is authenticity

More often than not, we sit down to make our resolution list exhausted and depressed but with great hope and fervor for making sweeping changes in our lives. What we often end up with is a cursory list based on our insecurities and fears, when what we really need is a deep commitment to loving ourselves and learning how to live authentically.

Being authentic to ourselves and seeking to understand our will is the only way to find peace of mind in a chaotic world. When we begin to become authentically ourselves, we begin to align our will with the Will of the Divine. For some of us, this is a concept we might call God, Goddess, the Gods, Universe, All That Is, or some other avatar of something greater than ourselves. For others, it may simply be the greater Self within.

Resolution or evolution?

Perhaps what we actually need is not resolution but evolution. Resolutions are so easily left by the wayside, while evolution occurs when we set realistic goals that truly align with our will. So, if you've made a list of resolutions, take some time to review it. Is there anything there that doesn't really fit? Is there something missing? What changes are you making that you can keep? Will they lead you to a new way of being…to evolve?

…Or revolution?

Let's carry this idea further. What if we could bring our spiritual evolution to a revolution in our lives. A revolution is a drastic change; a real change that makes us into someone seemingly new. It can be a complete turn-around from where we are to where we are meant to be. If we want to make our lives completely new, what would it take?

Or…are we more comfortable with a slower paced, gentle evolution to bring ourselves to where we hope to be?

Choices

It's a choice we each must make for ourselves. The choice is not whether or not to change. Change will happen. It's part of the natural course of our lives. Where we are in our lives today is a result of the choices we've made over the years of our lives. Each choice we make going forward will bring us to whomever we are destined to become based on the trajectory of those choices.

As we assess our lives today, we are faced with the option to become that person or a new person we envision for ourselves. Does who you are today align with the true you? If not, what can you do to realign with yourself? Maybe you've lost sight of who you are. If so, what can you do to remember who you are meant to be?

Evolution

If you're happy with your life today; if you are already aligned with your will, you can choose to just go forward softly, allowing change to happen naturally. In this case, there is no need for resolutions, no major changes to your behavior need to be made. You will just make a simple slow shift toward the future.

Resolution

If you find you must make conscious changes in your life in order to bring yourself into alignment, you can choose to try to make changes quickly with determination and planning, going the resolution route. For this to work, it's crucial to make resolutions that you can actually work with. Take some time, look at the bigger picture, set goals, and make a slow and steady change that you are sure you can maintain. By making this choice, you will evolve over time in the new direction you want.

Revolution

We often make little changes over time that turn us into someone we aren't, because we are trying to meet criteria that have been set forth by others. Sometimes we become someone else because we have become ashamed or afraid of our true selves, believing that we are not good enough, smart enough, or good-looking enough.

When this has happened, with every change toward becoming someone else, we cover ourselves with layers of misperceptions. We even sometimes come to believe that this other whom we have become is our true self. This is why, as we come to the time where we make our resolutions, we need to dig deep, discern the truth, and question who and what we are. From there, we can recall who and what we are meant to become. Only then can we make honest choices.

If you have discovered that you need to make big changes to your life in order to bring yourself back into alignment with your will; if who the world thinks you are is nothing like who you truly are, what you need is a revolution. A revolution in your life will not only bring you back to the path you are meant to be on, but will also bring you to a new comfort level with who you really are.

Resolution…Evolution…or Revolution?

It's your choice.

What do you envision for yourself in the coming new year?

May our resolution be that we take part in our own evolution and continue the blessings of the spiritual revolution of Love.

© Suzy Jacobson Cherry

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This story was first published on HubPages. It has also been featured in Brigid's Arrow on Medium and on Newsbreak.