Kicking off 2020, It’s not only a new year, but it’s a new decade! I am so tired of the old idea of New Years Resolutions. Can we find a way to empower and rejuvenate ourselves as a cultural tradition, instead of setting ourselves up for failure, disappointment and self-loathing? It is so important to remember that YOU are YOU and that doesn’t need to change in any year. Maybe there are some things about yourself that you feel like you are ready to change, a direction you want to grow or a habit that needs adjusting. That’s great! This only requires creating a new page in your book, not a whole new book. It is so important to keep things in perspective. Here are three things you can do to your new year empowering and rejuvenating. I am too!
Make Small adjustments to your lifestyle, instead of sweeping transformations.
If you want to lose a few pounds, tackle that task on several fronts. Get moving, adding a few thousand more steps to your day, or yoga, dance or other physical class to your schedule can make a big difference in how you feel. At 52, I always want to lose 15lbs and build more muscles but finally, I have decided that my goal is no longer external, it’s internal and what a weight this has lifted! No longer do I need to shackle myself to a number but I find great enjoyment taking my dogs for regular walks to get my steps in, playing kickball once a week with a fun team called Purple Reign that I sponsor through Fresno Social Sports, and I try to go hot yoga consistently to clear my mind, but if that doesn’t happen, I try not to beat myself up about it. Don’t beat yourself up, that’s a weight nobody needs.
Spend Less Money, Earn More Time
There are thousands of research studies that prove that money doesn’t make people happy, but we still chase financial excess and status. The truth is that after my trip this past summer to a slum in Kenya, where people live on less than $1 a day, I realized how off some of my own cultural practices are. I don’t know exactly how to delete all of them, but I did decide that I am not going to give people gifts that have no meaning or are disposable and without purpose anymore. I want to share myself with people I care about, so when a gift is appropriate, then I am going to try to give an experience or a lesson about who I am. What I mean is that I want to conscientiously share who I am, with those I love and care about. That might mean baking cookies with my grand-daughters, making dinner for adult children and hanging out, or grocery shopping for Mom. It might mean taking the money I would spend on birthdays or holidays and instead go on a little trip with friends or family. There are no substitutes for quality time and experiences.
Be a Better Human
Take some time and learn something new about people you don’t know. The truth is that humans are less than .01% different genetically than one another, which is equivalent to one-tenth of a penny. We have been socialized to believe that people in different cultures or of different races, or neighborhoods are different than we are, but they are just as human. Homeless or CEO, humans are human and each one has a story. I saw a man today who makes art out of tin cans on the side of the road, I am going to talk to him, this week. He needs to know that he has inspired me and reminded me that people are creative beings in even in the most hopeless of situations. I encourage everyone to meet someone, learn about them and expand their world view.
Off and running in 2020, here we go! Please share with me what you are doing to make your new decade more empowering and rejuvenating!
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- When Feelings Have No Words - January 15, 2020
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