What does “Happy New Year” mean?  Is it like, Hello, for the New Year?  I think probably it is.

The deeper question is…What does this brand new year mean to YOU?

Or another question… What do you WANT it to mean to You?

I’m not asking what “Resolutions” you’ve come up with.  Usually those don’t have a very good foundation, and don’t usually last.  I’m wondering, WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT, FOR YOUR LIFE…

    Not fairy tales and rainbows…but the Real, Actual “Feels” you want to realize in your life.

Do you know, if you can actually DECIDE (make a Real, Definite and Clear Decision) what you truly want for your life, you can make it real?

    Good things happen to us in our lives, as well as bad things.  Rarely do we accidentally have “good luck” to realize our deepest desires without searching them out, and digging, or climbing, or both…and Believing for them.

Our life is our Hero’s Journey, and we’re the Hero.  And we search out our path, the best we can, hopefully asking God for guidance, and watching for nudges that are given to us along the way.

    Sometimes we take a wrong turn—or was it just a “briar patch” to protect us.  Either way, Trust your life’s journey. Choose the Path you believe is “the one” for you to get to your desired life, and Trust that Path you’ve chosen. Through all the snags and stumbles.

    Follow it all the way.

    Past the people who don’t believe you can reach your destination…

    Past the people who scoff at you because they don’t have your courage to believe…

    Past your own thoughts (or thoughts of others) that you’ve tried and failed too many times already…

    Past the financial pitfalls…

    Past the feelings of “I don’t see any progress!”

    Past the things you may perceive as what you’re missing out on…

    Past the “50th” time you feel as if you’re just hitting your head against the wall, instead of going forward at all, “I just can’t do it!”

    Past the feelings of tiredness, even exhaustion.

    And through the things we just haven’t figured out yet…!!

But, you know what? You CAN overcome those things…Stepping ON them instead of tripping over them!

Sometimes I think the devil himself comes up with tricks to keep us from improving our lives.

    Sometimes it would help us to think of the actual things that pop up to get us off track, so we can watch out for those snares.

    And with our focus on our future life the way we see it, and with the help of our Maker, we CAN maneuver along the path to that improvement.  Whether it’s

    Good health…            Peaceful mind…

    A Strong, Trim Body…        Strong energy…

    Joy for living…            Rest for your mind and body…

    Financial success…        A better job…

    Overcoming stress…        A rested body…

It doesn’t really matter what your desire for your life is…it can be searched out and discovered—and ACQUIRED!!

There are many things that can help you prepare for your journey.  I can help you if you want more details (sharon@whereisyourcalm.com), but here are a few tips:

    Good Nutrition increases your brain power.

    It gives your body strength, and energy.

    It helps the systems in your body work better, and to work together.

    Good Sleep helps you think and reason better.

    Your brain and body repair and rebuild while you sleep—getting you ready to wake up refreshed mentally and physically.

Your Body needs Regular Exercise to function properly.

    For your Brain to work well.

    For your Lungs to be strong and work good.

    For your Bones to be strong; your Muscles strong, and your Skin to be healthy.

    For your Foggy Thinking to go away!

    For your Depression to disappear (works better than meds).

    To only mention a few things that regular exercise helps.

    Stress Reduction.  Yes! SOOOO IMPORTANT!

    Stress keeps us from thinking properly;

    From digesting our food properly;

    From actually breathing normally.

    It shuts down so many systems in our bodies, and our minds!

    It’s like the “full throttle” switch is on, and won’t turn off—which gives our bodies (and minds) no way to rest or rebound.  So… HOW LONG CAN OUR BODY AND MIND CONTINUE ON “High Alert”?

Solutions for Stress?  Sometimes this is the hardest part.

    …But, Oh, So Necessary!!

    1)    Relax.  “What…Relax???” Wait… “I don’t have time”…”I’m always busy”…”it’s the way I’m built—my mother was always that way too…it’s just the way we are!”

    So! The first thing you need to do is to be open-minded about making changes.  There are Little Ways to change that help it to be something you CAN do—Baby Steps.

2)    Take Breaks.  Yeah, I know.  This one’s hard too.  But after a while, you’ll love it.

    3)    Practice Breathing, intentionally.  Deep breaths. Any time.  Anywhere.

    4)    Meditate.  Don’t knock it til you’ve tried it for a couple of weeks.

    5)    Take walks outside.  Slow, enjoyable walks.

    There are other things, but these make a great start.

    Habits! Now we’re talking about the Key to it all.  

    I can help you with this, (sharon@whereisyourcalm.com) but there are ways to help yourself form habits.  And once you have habits, it makes everything easier!  This step can be enjoyed as a Challenge to yourself.  And when you see progress here, you’ll see progress everywhere else.

    1)    Look for things that sabotage — usually it’s temptations to do other things—that you want (need) to do, but it throws you off track.  Figure out a way to “trigger” yourself when you see this happening, and deliberately “think” and “choose” the best thing.  You Decide.

    2)    Think of ways to ENJOY the things you’ve chosen to do.  Do it in an unusual way, or do it in connection with something you like to do, or in connection with something you already do.

    3)    or choose a Reward for doing it consistently for a certain period of time (3 days in a row, etc).

    4)    Small Steps are your best friend, in helping you progress!

So, my thinking is, don’t worry about New Year’s Resolutions! Just PLAN YOUR LIFE, INSTEAD.  And plan how you’ll get there. (I can help you if you need help. (Sharon@WhereIsYourCalm.com)

May 2023 be the Beginning of a New Life for You!!

Until Next Time, 

Sharon