A New Year Celebration

The month of January has always represented CHANGE. The thought of developing a whole new you at midnight is exciting and excruciating. It is now 2019 and CHANGE is a true cause for celebration.

Before 2018, I never imagined I would be celebrating change. Change constantly had me in a battle. Change was such a daunting thought. A terrifying task.

Now, after a whole year filled with change and new perspectives, the thought is truly exciting.

In November 2017, I made a promise to myself to start accepting change. And not just the things changing for my benefit but all change. I made a commitment to start embracing more of the world around me. I took the whole year of 2018 to reflect and start thinking of things with a different outlook. If you think about it, change is literally happening all around us. The only two options are to accept change as a part of life or continue to try to fight it.

I checked the accept box.

I also made four other promises that truly helped improve my life for the better. I would like to share them with you as well:

Be present... Be here now.

When you are talking to someone, stay focused. Give them your full attention. PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE!!! I don't know about you but I think it is so discouraging to talk to someone who is not paying attention. If you are at a special event, spending some time alone, having a meeting, or out with friends, give that moment all of your undivided attention. Think about the words being spoken, the emotions your feeling, and engage all five of your senses. Stop and acknowledge what is happening now.

I repeat: PUT DOWN YOUR PHONE!!!

Face your fears more.

Whatever is scaring you... Just Do It (Thanks Nike!). I will seriously bet you that something in your past has already prepared you for this moment. I had a big fear of facilitating treatment groups (fear of public speaking) for work and then realized four things: I love talking to people, I was knowledgeable about the information, that most people want you to succeeded, and I took a public speaking class in college and I need to put that to good use. Think about your fears in a different light and if you are struggling, ask a friend for support.

Appreciate more... people, things and feelings.

Appreciation and Gratitude. Find it and use it. Truly think about the people in your life, the things you receive, and even feelings you experience during the day. What would life be like without them? How is life better with them? To assist with my daily gratitude I wake up and I listen to gratitude affirmations videos on YouTube; at night I make a list of ten different things I'm thankful for. Once in a video a man mentioned appreciating the ability to feel a cool summer breeze on a hot day and I was hooked. I had never stopped to think about something so simple with appreciation before. Mind BLOWN! An attitude of gratitude for the new year. Please and Thank You!

Say NO to "should" and "shouldn't."

This tip circles back to being present and combines the concept of acceptance. I used to spend so much time debating in my mind about what I should and should not be doing. So much so I was starting to develop generalized anxiety. I spent time debating if I had made the right decision on choices well after changes could be made. I spent time on thinking about things that I should not have done or events that should not have happened. My advice... accept it or push on. If you think life should or shouldn't be a specific way just make the changes you would like to see. WE only have control over our attitude and our effort. You are in charge of the way you feel. Do things that make you feel good. Do more things that will challenge you as a person. Learn the lessons and be grateful for that lesson. I would recommend spending an entire day doing things that make you happy and excite you. Make solid decisions for the day and stick to them fully. Live in that moment. Be present. Then look back on it with gratitude not judgement. Just do you!

Use what works, ignore what doesn’t, and modify what you need to. Just remember to always work on yourself for the better because nobody can change you but you.