Here we go again with those pesky New Year’s Resolutions! Since it is about to be 2011, I had decided to promise myself eleven goals this year. I know, I know, I can hear you now, uggh, another one of these blogs, how boring! Who wants to read someone else’s resolutions? But I beg of you to read on, because something occurred to me as I was jotting down my goals. Okay, okay, don’t get overly excited…here they are (I promise to only post them once and then we’ll move past it):
1. Finish Musings-feel proud of my accomplishment
2. Write two more stories
3. Meditate twice a day
4. Read 36 books this year…I have so failed miserably last year
5. Try to quit smoking-forgive myself for not having done so yet
6. Eat more organically-exercise more
7. Work on trying to secure an agent
8. Go back to school-try something new
9. Travel-mend relationships and family ties
10. Face my fears-empower myself
11. ……
Number eleven: this was my A-HA moment of the year. Number eleven should actually be number one because I am not going to succeed at anything else without it and I don’t think you will either. Here it is in a tiny little nutshell:
-Love myself for who I am right now-
Now when I wrote that, I kind of patted myself on the back and told myself that it was a profound statement. But the more I truly thought about it, the more I realized that if there is any one resolution to make, it is this and only this. Not just for me, but for you too.
Imagine. Each one of us is exactly where we are supposed to be right now, whether that is due to the choices you made or the circumstances that fate offered you. Given that, if we are supposed to be where we are right now, then maybe a little forgiveness of self for past mistakes is in order. If we can forgive ourselves, then maybe we can spread a little forgiveness to others for their mistakes against us as well. How wonderful and freeing would it be to not hold any grudges?
If we state that we have a true acceptance of who we are on the outside and to all those that view us, then maybe the deeper part of us, the soul part, can express him or herself freely without that nasty fear of judgment from others. Visualize yourself doing what you love. And if we can do that, then maybe we can learn not to judge others unfairly as well. Now, visualize others being happy. What does that do to your world, if you are surrounded by them?
Ask yourself this, if you could remove all material things in the world, what would it look like? Would poverty and wealth look the same?
Now strip yourself and others of all of their clothing? Free as a bird, we are all traversing the earth, meeting and greeting each other (because there is no internet) with nothing material to give and nothing material to receive. Our body parts flapping gregariously in the wind, with no way to hide from all of our imperfections and no way to conceal those very hard tell tale signs of sensuality, your wife knocks you upside the back of your head as you stroll on by Eva Longoria, ignorant to her wealth and fame . Are you laughing?
What if you removed your skin, your bones, your mind, your organs, the cells? What are you left with? A soul? If you answered no, read another blog post – this one won’t do you much good. For all others, what do you see?
You are not fat or too skinny, there is no cellulite, you are not hairy or bald, you don’t have a bad haircut, you are not wearing that awful snowflake sweater Aunt Helen made you for Christmas; your teeth aren’t crooked or yellow, you have no blemishes or disabilities, no illness, no addictions. And Hell, for all you narcissists out there…You are not hot, no hard bodies. No Eva Longoria, here. No.
Look past all of it: What do you see?
It is you, the real you, the part of you that feels self love or the lack of it, your mind doesn’t feel love, nor does your heart…they are just organs and these organs react to how YOUR energy moves them.
So now, what do you love about yourself? Is it your creativity, your kindness, your gusto? Have you been so preoccupied with the world, that you ignored you?
I do see the ME and all my profound gifts. But when I stripped myself of all the above, I also FELT pain-because I forgot to nourish and love myself, my true self.
What did you feel?
I am left to wonder that If I become “right” with myself here, then what are my possibilities after I slip back into my cells, my organs, my mind, my bones, and my skin and then take back all of my clothes and material possessions. Would everything else just simply fall in place? Yes, I think so.
It’s a choice really, a choice to be a little more selfish and love myself as I am at this very moment. And a choice to wish you the opportunity to strip yourself of all the things that do not matter at least once daily and to give yourself a chance at self-love and all the blessings that come with it. This wish from me to you is for 2011 and beyond because, as I believe in my soul, there is nothing greater to wish for.
Happy New Year! Xo
2010 may not have always been Zen, but 2011 could be heaven!
