As we step into a brand New Year, the air of excitement is
both tangible and palpable as we open up to living more consciously and more
vibrantly. The New Year is traditionally a time to set new resolutions for the
path ahead, and this year, such resolutions feel even more significant than
usual for the energy and dynamics of the power of intent has shifted
exponentially. Of course, many resolutions are broken and forgotten before
January has ended for they belong on the ‘should, must and to-do list of life’
and it is hard to put mind, body and soul into something that feels like a
chore. Yet, we find it hard to resist the drive to chase being better, for that
is a part of being human.
Many of our goals and affirmations involve things to achieve
and targets to meet and whilst these can bring us a sense of achievement,
perhaps the most important affirmation that is so often overlooked is simply a
desire to ‘be happy’ or to ‘live joyfully’. Such states of being are not
quantifiable, for they move beyond ‘to do lists’ and suggest a willingness to
focus on feeling rather than targets. When we let go of chasing those things
that we believe can make us happy and instead focus on being happy, everything
changes for the dynamic has shifted away from reaching out to the horizon for
‘completion’ and back to acknowledging that the horizon is already within us.
So many of us have a ‘yes, but’ approach to life and
frequently get lost in the tangles of: ‘once I have achieved x, then I can do y
and live my dream’. Whilst this may be true on one level, it shifts our focus
to a future state rather than the present state for we are looking away from
this moment in time towards a distant goal. Yet, when we shift our intent back
towards living joyfully and being happy, it is easier to let go of the need for
quantifiable targets as our awareness opens up to living consciously in the
moment and tapping into the abundant supply of love and happiness that is
already available within.
Of course, we can become lost and disconnected from this as
layer upon layer of ‘stuff’ challenges us, and we adopt storylines and
strategies to cope, and it is usually these that prevent us from allowing
ourselves to feel fully, for we become locked in the chains of fear and doubt,
unable to see a way forward or a path to peace. The more we struggle, the
harder it becomes to be free, for the storylines take hold and shape and define
all aspects of our lives. Yet, these storylines are not us; they do not make us
who we are for we do that ourselves. Therefore if we break the cycle by opening
up to the intent of feeling joyful or happy, we step beyond the storylines and
begin to touch, taste and feel the power of Wholeness.
Not only do we need to replace ‘should’ with ‘could’, but we
need to let go of the myriad of different pressures that we place on our own
shoulders through worry, fear, doubt and misplace beliefs. Of course, life
still ticks along and we can never truly be sure what lies around the next
corner, but by living consciously and vibrantly in the current moment, and
focusing on feeling Whole, then we lose that sense of lack and finally open up
to embracing All that we already Are.
So, as 2013 begins, it seems prudent to take some time to
connect to both the feeling, and the state of being, that we want to achieve on
the path ahead; this goes beyond a visualisation to a more empowered and
energetic space where we let go of the details and focus on the bigger picture
of feeling and being Whole, complete and aware. This doesn’t mean that we
should shelve our dreams; it simply suggests that we need to re-shape how we
quantify those dreams. The time for being lost in the detail and the storylines
is over, for we are ready now to embrace a brand new way of living and being...
