New Age Resolutions

I don't make resolutions for the new year. I make them as I go along. I'm always learning, healing, and improving my life. I learn new lessons usually weekly, sometimes daily. I make adjustments as needed. I've learned to do them one at a time, and gently. I don't get mad at myself over not following through or changing everything at once. I recommend this to those of you who still make resolutions for the new year. As you know, they very seldom work. One problem is that usually they're things you think you "should," be doing, things you've resisted.

From what I understand, a new age of being is coming about at this time. That's actually what 2012 was about. Many of us have felt significant shifts is our energy during the middle to latter part of this month. Now, the things we've struggled with are supposed to be getting easier to handle, I believe. At least, I hear that time is speeding up for these clearings. That's very exciting - to be further aided in this work of clearing and improving my life.

Today I learned several lessons. I need a day of rest from "shoulds" each week. I also do much better when I want to do something rather than think I should. I'm often motivated by having a list of things I intend to do, but it's even better for me to have it in my planner. Every time I get away from my planner, I become burdened by the lists. I feel the burden to get everything on the list done so I can throw it away and start over. One of the beauties of my planner is that instead of assigning a whole list of things to do on any given day, I can assign myself the list to do sometime during the week. That helps me relax about it more. I can also carry over (easily) from one week to the next what I haven't gotten done. That allows me to easily re-prioritize based on things that come up during the week, and my energy flow. It allows me to be more responsive without feeling burdened. I highly recommend this same planner to all of you. You can get one from plannerpads.com. They're basically all the same, just different styles. I recommend the book type with plenty of room to write, with the dates already filled in so you can see a week at a time. I use the spiral bound one because it easily stays open to a week at a time on my desk. I have a friend who uses the loose leaf, and swears by it.

I was feeling burdened today, and low energy. I sent up a quick prayer and God immediately answered by telling me I'm allowed and actually supposed to take a day off. That's what Sundays (or whatever day suits you) are for. He told me to remove the "shoulds." I was so grateful and relieved. I almost took a nap, but decided not to so I'd be able to sleep tonight. I first did what I felt I really needed to do - the dishes in the sink, took out the garbage, did the litter boxes and fed the cats. I wrote out a card I want to get into the mail tomorrow. While I was getting ready to do that, I cleared out a stack of mail looking for something I needed. In that, I faced doing something I'd been avoiding. That then gave me the energy to vacuum. I doubt I'll have company in the next week, and I'm usually a reactive cleaner. I'm one who cleans when someone's coming or I just can't stand the way the carpet looks. That's not to say that my house gets filthy - far from it. I have people coming and going regularly and like to have the house in decent shape. But I'm not one who cleans meticulously weekly. I hate cleaning house, can always find something I'd rather be doing with my time. The floors were messy by my standards, and I wanted them clean so this time I simply did it for me. It made me feel so good, especially afterwards. I was telling myself I'm worth it as I finished up, and that's a huge message for me.

I'm New Age, and old-times too, a mix. I listen to New Age music, but also to 40's Big Band Jazz, and classical. I love Victorian houses and stories, history. It's time to clean up and clear out our lives and habits, and not because a new year is starting. One day is really about the same as the next. There's absolutely no magic to a new year beginning. It's like your birthday. You aren't really another year older on your birthday - it's just math. You're simply one day older than the day before. January 2 is no different than December 2, unless either happens to be a significant birthday. It's not even time to clean up and clear out your life because it's a new age. It's time because you can make those changes any time you're ready and willing, and you're worth it. And you don't have to clear out all the old. In fact, there truly aren't any "have to's." Do it to make a better life for yourself. Do it because tomorrow truly is the first day of the rest of your life, and you're worth it.