New Year Resolutions (or not)

Happy New Year everybody!!! Welcome back from the holidays.

I love welcoming in the new year but hate making resolutions. I feel like we don't need Jan1st of 20XX to make the same promises to ourselves about things which we should be doing anyways. We get all excited and make resolutions at the beginning of the year but somewhere down the road the excitement fades, the resolutions are compromised and we are back to square one. So there you have it all. That's how I feel about New Year Resolutions!!

We are always so eager to make resolutions, to make it bigger, better and wanting more, that we forget to acknowledge and give ourselves credit for all that we have and all the good we did. This year I would like to start 2013 by giving myself credit for the all things that I did well last year.

Meditate More

Source: landsofwisdom.com

I've been meditating for over a year now and following the art of mindful living. Last year I took it up a notch and plunged into a 10 day silent meditation retreat called Vipassana. I observed " noble silence" - that is, silence of body, speech and mind for 10 days. It was the hardest challenge of my life and I emerged a winner, feeling happier, lighter and more at peace. I want to take a minute to acknowledge this wonderful experience and thank myself for my continued efforts to make my practice better.

Be Grateful

Source: google.com/images

This past year I have learnt to find joy in small things. To appreciate more of what I have and fret less about what I don't. We often have a long list of things we want, a better job, a bigger house, more money, more clothes, more of this and more of that. In the quest to achieve more, we forget to appreciate what we already have. Being grateful for what I have gives me immense happiness. This past year I made it a daily practice to remind myself of the small miracle in my life.

Slay your Dragons

Source: google.com/images

We all have our dragons (fears) that stop us from achieving what we want to achieve. That inner voice, that tells us, "you are not good at it", "it's too late to start", " are you sure you can do this" these are all our fears. Our ego wanting to keep us safe, to protect us. I had and still have plenty of dragons in my closet. Last year I decided to slay a few. I went on dates with my self to do things I was scared of the most. I took my camera and explored unknown territories. I drew more, i wrote poems and blogs, I accepted change. I silenced the voices in me that kept saying "I am not a good writer, that I suck at drawing, that there are much better photographers than me, that it's too late to learn how to dance". I slew my dragons and embarked on the unknown journey. I was scared but you what, it was fun to explore the artist in me.

And as we usher into 2013 I'd like to follow my bliss, take more chances and face my fears. There, that is my new year resolution if you will!

So, tell me did you make any new year resolutions? What's the thing you are proud of you did last year? What are you working on improving this year? I'd love to hear from you.