Leaning into the momentum of a new year
I love the energy surrounding a new year. Why are beginnings so enchanting? Perhaps it’s the hope and anticipation of the unknown or maybe an open opportunity to shed old habits, behaviors and beliefs that are no longer serving us.
We can do that at any time during the year, but there is a different momentum when the calendar turns to Jan. 1.
Last year was a pivotal year for me personally, but unlike other “pivotal” years which involved significant life events, last year was simply a year of reckoning with myself, the year I came to terms with my past and with old wounds and outdated systems of behavior that were pulling me down more than building me up.
Throughout 2023, I did a lot of inner work through reading, journaling, meditation, acupuncture, yoga and allowing myself to feel hard feelings that maybe I’d been suppressing. It felt like weeds cleared from my mind, heart and soul, helping me see my choice patterns and other people’s actions more clearly. I’m less offended, more grounded, more compassionate, I can see now that everyone is just doing the best they can with the emotional and mental resources they have access to at any given time.
As I look to 2024, I feel energized. I feel better equipped to embrace the beauty and joys of life without letting stress or change derail me. I think about the book I read last year by Oprah Winfrey and Arthur C. Brooks called “Build the Life You Want.” The book is full of rich, helpful information but essentially highlights the four big pillars of happiness which are friends, family, work and faith. Some of my goals for 2024 include strengthening these pillars with intentional action.
Speaker and writer Brendon Burchard recently said, “Do not move on to 2024 without letting go of something significant from 2023 — an old idea, label, habit, fear, concern of ego. Let go in order to free up space for something new and extraordinary to enter.” This thought really resonated with me. A lot of people choose a word for the year and even though by the middle of February most of us forget all about the word, I still love the idea. With Burcahrd’s advice in mind and in an attempt to maintain the New Year energy during all of 2024, I decided to do something a little different this year.
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My word for 2024 is “alignment” because this word encompasses so much of what I’m trying to accomplish in my life. To be in true alignment is the process of aligning my thoughts, words, and actions with my highest self. With alignment at the core, I’m focusing on a word of the month as well in order to drill down when it comes to actionable steps. I can get easily distracted so it’s helpful for me to create short-term benchmarks along with my more grandiose dreams and goals.
For January, my word is release. Yes, I plan to declutter a number of rooms, closets, cabinets, and drawers in my house this month, but the concept of “release” runs much deeper. I also want to release limiting beliefs, fears, doubts, and anxieties that are constricting me from leaning into the highest version of myself.
Abraham Hicks said, “There is only a stream of well-being that flows. You can allow it or resist it, but it flows just the same.” In January and throughout all of 2024, my goal is to let the stream of well-being flow and not get in its way through mortal tactics like worrying, overthinking, doubting or controlling.
Lastly, I believe that when we put something out into the universe, whether it’s through writing or speaking, it gives it energy and also lets the universe know exactly what we want. I encourage you to do the same, even if you simply speak it aloud to yourself in the mirror.
Sometimes beginnings are hard because they come after a hard loss or a traumatic ending. Believe me, I’m very aware of how new beginnings can be the sunshine to darkness. There is a poem called “Aristotle” by Billy Collins where he explores the beginning, middle and endings of all things. With the New Year on our minds and hearts, I want to conclude with a section of that poem.
This is the beginning.
Almost anything can happen.
This is where you find
the creation of light, a fish wriggling onto land,
the first word of Paradise Lost on an empty page.
Think of an egg, the letter A,
a woman ironing on a bare stage
as the heavy curtain rises.
This is the very beginning.
(Susanna Shetley is a writer, editor and digital media specialist with The Smoky Mountain News. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)
