To think that 2014 is over and 2015 is already 11 days in still blows my mind. The year flew by, and now there are only 354 days left in 2015! This year I really didn’t think much about resolutions or what goals I was setting for myself. Lets face it, how many of us have actually made a resolution and kept it?
It wasn’t until I was in New Jersey spending New Years with one of my oldest girlfriends that I was ‘forced’ to think about it. On the 31st of December we decided to go for a 9am yoga class to send off 2014 on a healthy note, and ring in 2015 with a little muscle soreness (the good kind you get after a great workout). The instructor, before class, told us - write down one thing you want to get rid of (my loved beyond repair Top Shop military booties wasn't what she had in mind), or one goal you have for yourself. Silly as this exercise was for me initially, I was at a loss for what to write down. So I sat there in my own stillness and wrote down the first thing that came to my mind: I was going to get rid of judgment. Lofty, I know, because as good a person as I think I am, I judge. It’s horrible, but it’s human nature. But I realized in that precise moment, that if I was going to be less judgmental I needed to start by being less judgmental of myself. So I also wrote down: Love myself. From there I realized, that a lot of the times our judgment also comes from a lack of understanding and a choice not to listen. My family is notorious for interrupting. We are loud and stubborn and these are exacerbated when we think we are right. The problem is, lately it’s getting out of hand and it’s negatively affecting our familial relationships. The solution is simple: stop talking over people and truly listen. You might learn something. If I listen, I’ll have a greater chance of understanding, which will in effect then make me less judgmental (nothing new, but somehow it resonated so loudly within me I could have burst).
Photo: Thank you Stephen Covey!! roycewhite.com
So there I had it: I had come full circle and now had 3 things on my list: Judge Less, Love Myself, and Listen First. After the class we were told to hang on to the paper if we had written a goal, and ceremoniously burn what we wanted to get rid of (right there in class). So I had to carefully tear my paper in 3- burn judgment, and keep love and listening.
I wrote these down not actually thinking that they were resolutions or goals that I would necessarily keep. In that moment, they were things I became aware of and their interconnectedness was my own personal an ‘ah-ha moment’ (Thank you Oprah for coining this phrase). If you have ever had an ‘ah-ha moment’, it sticks. You can’t undo it, or forget about it, because it has completely changed your perception, it changes you.
Oddly enough, loving myself is one of the toughest, but it’s a daily decision to speak to myself with love, affection and respect. From there, everything else follows.
Photo: metaphoricalmarathon.com
So in this New Year, I didn’t make a resolution or set a goal. I ended up with an impromptu ‘ah-ha moment’ that was more powerful than any resolution. When your ah-ha moment comes (and we all get them if we are honest with ourselves and still enough to hear it) may it bring you clarity, peace, and a resounding 'AH-HA!'
Happy and Healthy 2015 to you and yours.
annaxmalina
2087
izzy806
theartofmadeline
vaporwave
areudirty
pixelskylines
stormborns
blakekathryn
janainaart