Beginnings . . .

a new year, a new resolution, a fresh start, a different path.

This is a New Year’s Resolution check-in!  Apparently, most of us have given up on them after 2 weeks into January, so how’s yours going?

 A New Year invites opportunity for new beginnings!  So why is it so difficult?

Beginning something new or becoming someone new is not as simple as you imagine.  Embracing newness always involves releasing and letting go of something old and familiar.  Brains prefer ‘old and familiar’ because it feels more comfortable in your body than the uncertainty of what the ‘newness’ may feel like.  Yes, even if the newness you aim for is better for you and/or exciting!  Most of your ‘choices and actions’ are determined by decisions your brain makes because of what is being felt in your body.

So perhaps the secret to successful New Year’s resolutions is not about being strong-minded or strong-willed.  Perhaps it’s found by being in your body and not just your mind.  Perhaps goals unachieved in the past are because there are parts inside you that are too scared to let go of the roles they’ve carried out faithfully for your lifetime but are no longer needed.

Stepping forward into new possibilities sounds so simple, yet beneath the surface can upset a highly trained, internal system that is still trying to protect you with a concrete wall from an old and often complicated storyline that no longer exists.  In essence, taking the new step IS simple, but it is also radical for a part of you.

Sink into your body, be gentle with yourself and check if a part of you may be feeling fear, loss, grief, or uncertainty whenever you imagine doing new things or letting go of old things.  Acknowledge what you notice because it’s real.  Then step into the newness anyway.  Make the choice.  Be different.  Do the thing.  Do all the things.  Just start!  You may even discover that what feels like pushing through a concrete wall may actually be merely tissue paper after all.