New Year, a New Me? Reflections for a New Year
by Shelley Green, HCBH Marketing Manager
Happy New Year, friends! It’s an exciting time! A new year, a fresh start, a blank page! A time to remind yourself that YOU are the author of your story, YOU get to decide what happens next, and YOU get to choose how your character is portrayed. So, how will you fill these next pages in the story of YOUR life?
A new year is the perfect time to reflect on the things that have not served us well and leave them in the past. Have you strayed from your storyline? Are there toxic relationships, habits or other behaviors that need to be written out of the next chapter? Now is the perfect time to reset, readjust and refocus your intention on who you want to be and how you want your story to unfold.
Are you proud of your character so far?
Many people, especially those with mental health conditions like anxiety or depression, might answer no to that question. It’s true that many of us feel insecure, lost, or not in control of our own life sometimes. That’s because life is not a simple storybook fairytale meant to lull small children into wistful slumber. Life can be wonderful – magical even. But, life can also be hard – sometimes, unimaginably hard. Life is unpredictable and filled with plot twists. Some days we may only have the strength to get out of bed, other days we may be able to scale a mountain and sing from the summit. It’s all part of the story, the ups and downs, but there is always a new page yet to be turned in which anything can happen.
You are the hero of your story, so never stop rooting for yourself. We are all a work in progress. No one is perfect, nor should we strive to be. Think of your favorite book. Was the main character perfect or were they flawed? … Maybe an imperfect hero faced with challenges to learn from and obstacles to overcome to achieve their happy ending? There is a reason for this often used literary recipe, because it is relatable and it mirrors real life. (Not to mention, the story would be boring if the protagonist was perfect and everything went according to plan.) But you don’t give up on your hero just because they’re flawed, do you? Of course not. So, in that same way, believe in YOURSELF. Believe in your ability to change and grow, your ability to overcome obstacles, and believe that you CAN have the happily ever after that you envision for yourself.
This time of year, we can feel pressured, by ourselves and others, to make drastic and sometimes unrealistic New Year resolutions. In fact, maybe the kindest and most attainable way to improve ourselves, and manifest the story we want, is to simply make small, consistent changes each day that help us to be just a little bit better than we were yesterday.
Keep it real, friends. Life is not fiction.
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