First, after tossing back a few the night of New Year's Eve 2009 out of sheer boredom, I resolved mid-drink to stop drinking alcohol entirely. I then poured my holiday spirits down the drain and never took another sip again. One year later and I am still a total tee-totaler. Will I continue along this line forever and ever? I don't know. But what I do know is that I've never felt better. It's the next best thing to quitting my social smoking habit (2008) and quitting coffee (2007).
Second, after pouring out those spirits, I resolved to raise my spirits naturally, meaning that I would dive back into my spiritual seeking that I had abandoned several years earlier. I slowly worked my way up to it by reading and researching, but by June I eventually found a meditation practice that I love and am continuing to expand. Along this path, I discovered a great link to Source that had kept me more centered than anything else in my life to this point.
Third, along with getting spiritually healthy, I resolved to get physically and emotionally healthy, by listening to my body, watching what I eat and getting plenty of me-time at the gym and elsewhere. Before getting in the gym, however, I discovered a local Tai Chi group and learned that I absolutely love it. That meditation in motion blends the spiritual, physical and emotional bodies all so well for me that I truly feel out of whack when I miss a week. With the last 6 months of healthy mind-body living, I am a new woman.
Finally, my biggest (and seemingly toughest) resolve was to find a job. Little did I know that if I dropped my oars and stopped trying the paddle upstream, the job would find me! It's new and it's often challenging, but my rockets of desire would have it no other way.
All in all, 2010 has been a satisfying year and has left me really looking forward to what 2011 will bring.
Now, in looking towards that future, my resolutions for 2011 include the following:
1) "How may I serve?" It's not so much a mantra as it is a way of seeing the world. I am looking to give of myself in ways that my talents and heart lead me. Although I always strive to make the world a better place, I want to be more aware of it in my day to day life... and if I make just one person's day better with each day, that is a great place to start.
That first one is tough for me, because for a misanthrope like me, you people are tough to love. I don't mean "you people" in the racist sense... nor do I mean "you" people in the personal sense... nor do I mean you "people" in the sense that I'm not people, but rather some sort of alien life form (although there are days when I do feel that way). I mean that, in general, humanity often lacks... well... humanity. But if I just focus on what I love in others and ignore the rest, I know this first resolution will go a lot smoother.
2) "See joy everywhere." There was a time when I saw problems everywhere. Some of this had to do with the "you people" thing that I mentioned above, but really it only had to do with me and the way that I saw the world. Sure, that critical vision of mine made for some funny written (and oral) rants; but in 2010, I gradually learned to rack focus... switching from the exacting macro to the light-filled wide angle lens. In the bigger picture, I realized that I could see joy in every person, place or thing. I also realized that sometimes if you stop focusing on the less-desirable persons, places or things long enough and adjust your angle, you'll see that they were merely blocking what is actually a beautiful view.
3) "Keep trying new things." We often forget how great it feels to challenge ourselves with something new in our lives. The new things that I tried in 2010 have caused me to grow in so many great ways. Not everything was for me, but I am glad that I tried everything. I'll be starting off 2011 with trying belly dancing for the the first time... that should be a hoot! I don't know what other new things I'll be trying, but I'm going to look at anything that comes up as an opportunity.
4) "Let love in." I've been holding this one off for a while now, keeping it at bay, not wanting to jump in anywhere before I was on a better path for myself. After a little experimenting with this in the past few weeks, I feel that I'm coming in to really good place for this now... another opportunity to grow and co-create. I was able to walk away from something that just did not feel right* without a single ounce of drama, despite being highly tested. It was great how easily I was able to speak my peace and choose my exit, giving me the confidence to know how much easier it will be when something does feel right.
(Non-alcoholic) Cheers to 2010! Here's to 2011! Onward and upward!
*The old me would have written all about that experience by now, pointing out all the oddities and quirks for giggles, but this new me would rather turn her attention to the positive aspects that I want in a mate. The negative aspects make great blog fodder, but they also keep attracting that stuff to me.
