Has this been your resolution for the past decade? I’m….using my gym membership…getting a gym membership…quitting smoking…no more drinking alcohol….losing the pregnancy weight…being nicer to (fill in the blank)…yeah yeah yeah…every year the same thing.

Those don’t hold.  They can’t.  You don’t REALLY want to do them.  I mean, you think you do…but if you did…you would already be doing them.  And starting the year already secretly knowing you are going to fail is a bad way to kick off a new year.  Am I right?

Have no fear, I’m your crazy Aquarian friend here to suggest a few off the cuff resolutions that in the end may make this period of resolution making actually change your life in a way that lasts, feels good, and in general makes you a happier, more well rounded, satisfied human being.  And that benefits not only you…but everyone around you, and around them and them and them…you get the point.

Let’s get started.

Resolution #1:  Giving Back.  

You don’t have anything to give?  I call hogwash.  I suggest committing to giving back once a day.  What does that look like?  Hold a door for someone who has their hands full?  Let someone into traffic just because you can.  The person who looks like they are in a hurry in the grocery line, let them in front of you.  If you see someone who looks like they need a hug, maybe walk up to them and say, “I’m sorry, but you really look like you need a hug.  Would you like one?” (But don’t be attached to the outcome if they don’t…)  That person who you never listen to, actually listen (I know, mind bending.) Buy an extra sandwich and give it to the person outside who is asking for change and really needs one.  Every day.  One small thing for someone else.  One small thing.  Every day.

Resolution #2:  Breathe.

Yes, I know you already breathe.  I’m talking about breath.  I’m talking about a conscious in and out for lest’s say, 5 breaths….10 if you are feeling like a teacher’s pet (I love teachers pets 🙂  This is a breath that consumes you, fills you, pulls all of what no longer serves you together so as you exhale you can let it all go.  This is a  breath that gets into yours shoulders and neck and on the exhale actually releases them, even if only for a breath.  This is a breath that gets deep in your belly and unwinds it, relaxes it, let’s life back in.

Every day, multiple times you stop what you are doing just to breathe.  Just to consciously be where you are, feel your own body, and decide you deserve this 5 breaths to get back on track, back to center, to detox, back to the best version of yourself.

Resolution #3:  Thinking makes it So.

This year perhaps you decide to learn to pay attention to your thoughts, and make sure your thoughts match the direction you want to be heading in your life.  If you think a damning thought you simply blow it off…replace it with what you meant to think. Try it now, “I am happy.”  “I am successful.”  “I am loved.”  “I am healthy.”  I’ll wait.

………………………………..

Catching your thoughts is the hard part, though.  Those suckers are beaming out there a mile a minute and we are entrained to simply allow them to run the show.  So, starting with paying attention to your thoughts is the best place to begin, and yes, meditation is the best way to practice.  But this isn’t a resolution called meditation…it’s just one possible way to help you get to the core of this one.

However, since you asked….a great meditation to start paying attention to your thoughts is to sit on a cushion or in a chair with the intention of listening to your mind, actually being part of the conversation instead of letting it run the show unsupervised, and just see what comes up.  It’s pretty amazing the vast array of topics your mind can cover in just a ten minute session.

That’s it.  Just notice.  Don’t judge.  But if you start hearing all the ways you are bad or not good enough, I would, in the spirit of this particular resolution exhale those thoughts and replace them with their opposite (which though you may not know it…is probably the truth…)

 

That’s it.  Easy.  Be of service every day.  Breathe consciously.  Think nice thoughts about yourself and by proxy, others.

And don’t do it because it’s a new year, do it because you want to be a  new you, a better person, a better human, a better friend to not only others, but yourself.

Solstice is right around the corner (my choice for new year) and the Calendar new year just a hop skip and jump after that…so a few weeks to start practicing so you can be in the flow before the big day, if you want.

Sending love and light and encouragement and as always, Acupuncture is a great way to balance, detox, de-stress, unwind and generally feel amazing this crazy holiday season!  Just sayin’!