Resetting Yourself For A New Year.

I get this inexplicable feeling whenever a year comes to an end, a feeling that is hard to define. Carrying the weight of a whole year on my shoulder, it feels strange to start a new one being the same "me". I believe that change is a blessing, and with every new year comes the opportunity to intend for something different to happen; different experiences, different lessons all leading to personal growth and fulfillment. Most importantly, joy.

This reminds me of December 2016, when I was sitting on the balcony in the feeble morning light, begging the world for anything to change. I had just started university and it felt like something was missing. I didn't feel like I belonged. I felt that a part of my heart was longing for something, and it wasn't here. I had nothing to do but just intend for that experience to happen. I intended the new year to bring forth a way to make me grow.

Just a few days later, I received news that got me a job, and with this job, I found my truest passion, and with my passion, I made my way to fulfill my purpose. I am certainly trustful that this could happen to you, too. :)

And since that year, I never stopped making intentions. I want to share with you how to reset yourself for a new year, and be the designer and creator of your own life experience.

Step 1: Reflect

Before thinking of the new year, take some time to remember one highlight of each month. It could be a positive or negative one, what's most important is that it is one that truly impacted you. For example, in January 2020, my grandmother passed away and I saw it all happen. That experience taught me to remember the temporariness of my life to put things into perspective. In August 2020, I started a new job and graduated, which signaled a new era. I'd like you to do the same by taking just 10 minutes to reflect and recall the most impacting, significant moments of the year. 

Why is this important? It strengthens your awareness. It makes you a reflective thinker, able to create feedback and use it to propel forward. It transforms abstract memories into imprinting experiences. You also start to perceive your toughest experiences as ones to be grateful for, shaping up some important lessons. Believe me, I wait all year to write down my highlights. You can find them here, on this blog. What's even better to read them in retrospect, years later, and marvel at how much you have changed and grown.

Step 2: Set A Few Goals For the New Year

The next step is to list a few goals that you wish to reach in the new year. It doesn't have to be a tremendously huge list; 2-5 goals are quite enough. Even one may do the job, but the most important thing is that it comes straight from your heart. Those goals must be things you really want to accomplish for your personal growth. For example, my goal for 2021 is to journal every day (to improve my conscious awareness) and measure improvement in my learners' attainment and creating a long-lasting transpersonal relationship with them. I advise you to choose goals that involve habits that you need to develop to actually achieve them, not a one-time accomplishment. Those are the goals that are genuinely challenging because they interfere with your everyday life. The goal is not to find a job, but to actually add value in an organisation that suits your culture and mindset. That means, there is no other way but to truly CHANGE yourself and exert continuous efforts to reach that goal. Make sure to write those goals down in a place where you can always see them, like on your bulletin board or wall. 

Step 3: Create Monthly Intentions (A Vision Board)

Now, here is the last, most fun and magical step! So, something that I actually started doing for fun was just write down what I wish each month would be like, like some recurring theme. For example, last January was all about being silent and introspective, August was about showing up for my intuition, November was about soulful warmth and kindness. I wrote those intentions a year before, on a piece of paper, and hung them on my bulletin board. Miraculously, things started to happen to actually allow those intentions to take real form! In August, I was tempted to trust my gut and hold on to the person I knew loved me. In November, I was given plenty of chances to show kindness and warmth at work and with people I knew. 

So, sit down for a while and think: what would I like January to be like? What are some experiences that I really want to have? I set an intention for next January to make it all about creativity. I'm thrilled to see the kind of opportunities that shall conspire to help me put my creativity into action. February will be about child-like love, so I hope to have experiences where I get to express my love so freely and merrily, just like a child. How do you want your coming months to be like?

Following those three steps will reset your mind and heart for a new beginning, filling you with enthusiasm, gratitude and most cardinally, heartfelt intentions for what you want to actually achieve and experience in the coming year. I assure you, based on my experiences for many years, it is worth it, and you deserve to watch your dreams translate into reality. In the end, God is all-merciful, and He does not want but mercy to be bestowed upon you. So, what is more beautiful than to ask God for His mercy and kindness by easing circumstances that would help you be a better person?

There are some rivers of love that never dry up. I wish you a year full of love, gratitude and growth. :)