31 Dec Why We Love Starting A New Year
As I enter this new year, I am letting go of this weekly blog. I may pop in from time to time, however, I will be turning my writing towards articles and my first book. Thanks to all of you who have read my words and have shared my world. We are truly #justgettingstarted!
Today is the end of a decade. It’s also the end of a year and of a month. And with the turning over of the calendar page at midnight, it becomes the beginning of a new decade, the beginning of a new year and the beginning of a new month.
And in that midnight moment, we let the old go and we welcome the new! We celebrate with hugs, kisses, toasts and cheers. We smile with anticipation about what’s possible. We’ve made our list of what will be different THIS year. We have an enthusiasm and vision for the future.
We LOVE starting a new year because it’s exactly that … new. And fresh. And exciting. And in that moment, we are only focused on what’s possible. What we want. And it feels oh so good. We actually breathe a bit easier and feel our shoulders relax with the promise of a better year.
That’s why we love starting a new year. As long as we tell ourself that story of possibilities, it will be our reality and the new year will begin with a bang. It will be fun. We will have more energy to do the things we say want to do like exercise, read a book or cook healthier.
So, why doesn’t it last? The statistics are staggering. Why, oh why, doesn’t it last?
Because instead of the new fresh start story that was louder in the excitement of the new year, our old you aren’t good enough and you don’t deserve it stories pipe up to take center stage. And all of a sudden. They’ve been ignored too long. I don’t want to journal in the morning even though it was really helpful. I will exercise tomorrow instead of getting out of bed and heading to the gym. Oh, let’s just order pizza because I don’t feel like cooking tonight. Those old stories become the choices and the excitement fades away.
And that old story is so happy that you are listening to it because it is so much more comfortable here. We don’t need to do anything different. And it’s right. You don’t. But what if you did? What if you kept that new story alive, and you really concentrated on the happiest version of you that’s possible? What if you treated every day like it was a new year (because it really is)? What if every morning when your eyes opened you gave a Happy New Year cheer?
If the things you want to do differently this coming year are hard in your mind, you’ll NEVER stick with them. It’s when you change your story and make the new ones your JOY that they become part of the new you.
It doesn’t matter the day, or the hour, a NEW YOU only happens after a NEW CHOICE.
Choose Joy!
Barb
