Make 2017 your best! 2017 is going to be my year!
No doubt you’ve seen similar headlines in advertisements for the latest development program or the aspirations plastered on your friends’ social media walls. The beginning of a new year sees many searching to find that better version of themselves.
But this year, I’m taking a different approach. My only goal is to give away goals and get further in touch with who I really am. It would be fair to say that goal setting and I parted ways many years ago when I realized that they came with the companions of striving, driving, attachment and stress. I had fallen into the trap of trying to add more each year. More holidays, more success, more time and more health. And then I asked myself the question that changed everything
What if the answer lies not in adding, but in shedding ?
Questions have a way of focusing you in on the important things and allowing the superfluous to drop away. So in the first month of this year, instead of goal setting, consider grabbing a pen and piece of paper and reflecting on the following powerful questions that will change your 2017.
1. What do I need to let go of that didn’t serve me in 2016?
Your path to ultimate fulfillment is already laid down for you. All you need to do is see it. But that’s the hard part. At your very core, you are perfection. But over the years you pick up many habits that don’t serve you well. They arose from trying to fit in or perhaps they were a response to a particularly hard time. Either way, with practice they become your default way of operating. And they have taken you further away from your path. What was exposed to you in 2016? Was it negative self talk, harsh judgement of others, lack of self belief or something else? It’s time to say good-bye.
2. What do I need to give more attention and care to in my life in 2017?
You deserve the experience of a blissful life, full of connection. But the freedom of a beautiful life comes with discipline. There are certain things you need to feel connected, strong and fulfilled. And these things are unique to you. Maybe it’s frequent visits in nature. Or regular laughter. Perhaps it’s music. The things that make you thrive are often the first to slip away in a busy life. Identify them and commit to doing them more often in 2017.
3. What are the strengths I want to bring forward in 2017?
If you are like the average person, you spend too much time focused on acquiring skills you don’t have and working on your weaknesses. But what if you put that same amount of focus into the talents already flourishing in your life? Your strengths are the gifts that you can use to make a difference. They are unique to you. No one in the world can bring them in the same way. What are yours? Write them in big letters and put them in a place where you can see them everyday. Let them out to play at every opportunity, particularly when you face challenges.
4. Do I have the courage to be the very best version of myself in 2017?
Have you shown the world your full potential? What would that look and feel like to you? Do you have the courage to be that person and to stand out amongst a crowd? This means refusing to accept anything other than the expression of your true self. It takes courage to unapologetically show the world your real nature. You might get rejected. You might fail. But there is more to gain. You can dress fear up in “wrong time, wrong place” but they are just excuses. You have the power to bring your best. Work on unlearning the things that are stopping you.
So this new year, instead of adding more, strip back to the basics, ask more questions and believe that you are enough. Just the way you are.
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