Happy New Year!
Did you set a resolution?
Many people begin the new year with tons of resolutions–things to change, new places to explore, bad habits to break, weight to lose, information and learning to gain. As you enter this new year, what are you looking to do, to gain, to lose? Remember, what we eat and what we think and choose to believe determine what we look like and how we show up for life. So choose your food, drink and ideas wisely. Be mindful of how you are living each day.
Are you so focused on tomorrow that you’ve forgotten today? Practice Mindfulness!
As I’ve observed the new years come and go, I’ve come to believe that the best resolution is simply being conscious in the moment–of who I choose to be today, how I will act, what I choose to eat, what I think and choose to believe, right now. This traditional Buddhist practice of mindfulness is becoming more popular and is also being further validated by Western science. I’m not suggesting that goal setting or striving for improvement is not important. But in my experience, I sometimes get so focused on tomorrow that I forget I am living in today with today’s gift of time and today’s opportunities to learn and love those around me. Perhaps what I do today is ultimately more important than deciding what kind of person I will be tomorrow or the work I will do to become better in some distant future. With that awareness, I try to embrace today, live it consciously and make it the best. It is the accumulation of many todays that give shape to my tomorrow; what I have chosen to eat, think and believe will shape how I feel and act, what impact I may have, and how I may be perceived by others. It is in the now that I am growing into “my ideal self.”
What do you think?
What are your goals and resolutions for this year? What have you learned from past experiences? Are you familiar with mindfulness? *feature image photo attribution*
