The BEST New Year Resolution You Can Set For 2016!

It’s nearly upon us, that magical time of year. The time when we can go to bed, with visions of new hopes and goals dancing in our heads. The last year’s problems can be put to rest, while remembering the highlights, the growths and the bests. The New Year is a time, for many, for reflection and projection, often whether we want to or not. In the coming weeks, if we haven’t already, we’ll begin to do the old dance of goal making for the New Year. The common problem being, following through with all of these resolutions. I’m not here to tell you how to stick to your New Year goal of losing 10 pounds, or how to overcome your bad habit that you were supposed to resolve last year. What I am here to tell you is what I think the best New Year goal is that you can set.

Purposeful self-awareness. Now this may sound like the easiest or hardest goal to some. But, I assure you that whether you already feel quite in tune with yourself already or have no idea where to begin with something like this, this will help shine some light how this goal is great for all.

The funny thing is that, Purposeful Self-Awareness isn’t really a thing to be achieved, because you’re never really done. Everyday throughout this past year we faced new issues, old issues, national issues, global issues, positive influences, negative influences, things we had control of, things we didn’t have control of, battles with others, battles within ourselves, we faced things we’ve never faced before, and things we’ve faced a million times, new information, old information, forged new connections, let go of some connections, stuck our necks out, shied away, felt lost, made a new discovery, came to a new understanding. And, all of this has changed us. We’ve all grown. And none of us are exactly the same people we were making goals (or not) last year. What we do have some control over RIGHT NOW is who we want to be this time next year.

Purposeful Self-Awareness is not as simple as, I’m aware that I’m hungry, or I’m aware that I’m pissed off. And yet, it is. But there is so much more than that to discover.

But how will this help me at all?

Because being self-aware is knowing yourself. Knowing how you’re going to handle something, and taking inventory of how you do. Because knowing this, knowing yourself, is the only way to know whether you feel like you are who you are supposed to be, and knowing who you are supposed to be is the only way to get you to where you are supposed to be.

Ok... How do I get started though?

You start by taking inventory. Take an hour if you have it – take a minute if it’s all you’ve got, and take inventory of who you are right now. Do we like all of the “I am’s?” Or are there some we could do without? Take a look at your values, what you think is right and wrong and why.

Take ownership of the things you are, of the things you’ve learned, of the things that this year has done to your soul, of the achievements you’ve made, the times you didn’t lose your cool, and the times you did. Own it. Own it all. Make peace with yourself – give yourself forgiveness where needed and a pat on the back where it’s deserved.

The beauty of this process is that it is as individual as you are, so I can't tell you exactly the best way to go about it for yourself but these can help.

This hardly seems like the best resolution.

The more you do it, and bring purposeful self-awareness into the New Year, the more power you have over how it will go. A more aware self will set more aware goals and if your goal is created with more awareness then the goal is more likely to be accomplished.

How do I stay self-aware?

It’s a practice, not a science. Build a stronger connection between yourself and your mind. Become best friends with your mind and your thoughts, create a dialogue there. It is oh so easy to become disconnected with yourself, and sometimes we don’t even notice. Close your eyes and get to know what’s on the seemingly blank screen before you. Getting to know yourself and getting to know your new self is an education worth having.

But this education about yourself isn’t what makes this the best New Years goal. It is the magic that comes from knowing your own power and your own influence. That is the real magic in this world. And, tapping into that is the best goal I think we all could set for ourselves for 2016.

#Editions