With the buzz of the new year and incessant talk surrounding goals and resolutions, it can feel as if you have to recreate yourself to improve in months to come. But this year,let’s embrace the mantra “New Year, Same You” as a means of empowering who you already are and what you want to create. The truth is, you don’t have to change yourself to be better. Everything you need is already within you. Instead of setting unrealistic expectations for yourself in this first month of renewal, what if you got quiet and sat with yourself? What if you chose to step into yourself and your power instead of retracting from it by conforming to societal standards?
Everything you need is already within you.
Think back on what worked in 2018, what was really beautiful, what really hurt and kept you small.
I challenge you this month to slow down and reflect: think back on what worked in 2018, what was really beautiful, what really hurt and kept you small. For many, 2018 was a full and tumultuous year and it requires some reflection to really digest all that occurred. It is totally okay if you didn’t show up as your best self the entire year, but choose to forgive yourself for that and learn from it rather than focusing on what went wrong. Meditate on what you’d like to change or keep the same, then focus on how you can achieve that in 2019. So much happens in a year and the progress made can be overlooked when you try too hard to measure it. Rather than blaming yourself, try to see how far you’v e come and take actionable steps to create the life you desire and remember that you don’t have to change yourself to be better.
What energy, what feeling do you want to cultivate?
Rather than focusing on what you want to change about yourself, think about the
energy you want to cultivate or the things you’d like to manifest. Perhaps create an
intention for the year or choose a word to encompass the feeling you’d like to embody. Unlike resolutions, which end as soon as they are broken, intentions create a foundation you can continually come back to, acting as a home base for the energy you’re working to create. You have the power to create your own reality and each day is a new beginning; yes, it is a new year and a wonderful time to start over, but remember that you are given that chance every day. Surround yourself with people who exude the feeling you’d like to bring into your life and allow them to lift you up. Do things that bring you joy and that feed you, rather than deplete you. Put yourself in situations that encourage you to grow, even if it scares you. No matter what you do, just remember that you’re still you and that’s a wonderful thing. Step into your self, come back to your intentions, and work to create the life you love. It is a new year, but embrace the same you!
Embrace YOU!
-Hannah Chapman, YS Student Adv isor
www.realfoodmatters.co