New Year Awakening

Indeed, the renewal of another year is unfolding with its myriad of events, marvels, mysteries, discoveries, challenges, elucidations, wonders, tragedies, inspirations, and questions. Many of us are moved to design a collection of resolutions, as we aspire to develop our picture of self-improvement and self-worth, which seems to be an endemic need of our being.

Is this a need with which we are born or one we have evolved as part of our developmental reason for being and our cultural upbringing? So many of us espouse the imperative to assure our value as human beings, reflective of what we do, are doing, or plan to do. How often do we identify ourselves by what we do, be it through profession, community connections, personal interests, family engagement, daily responsibilities, future planning? Are we just what we do, or are we more than our doing, who we choose to be, to allow, to discover, to honor as the individualistic and unique being we are here to imbue, shine, and share? How many of us recognize each day, each moment, every one of us has a bejeweled, precious opportunity to be present, awake, and wholly engaged to appreciate one more timeless moment amidst an ever- evolving array of lifetime moments. Do what you do, do it well, and be unequivocally present to the being behind the action to assure your choice of action aligns with the gifts of being you were born to enact as a conscious human being.

In the moment, being wholly aware of the attainment of a summit, the effervescence of a blooming flower, the resounding break of ocean waves, sweet chortle of a child’s laughter, enrichment of caring conversation, humble pride of a gardener, fulfillment of professional accomplishment, warm embrace of another--a limitless bounty of joys awaits our engagement and appreciation.

Consider the New Year matters no more than a new day, a new moment to stop, breathe, listen, behold, quiet, and give thanks. No matter where you are, what you may be doing, who you are in the series of unfolding moments will determine the degree of enrichment available. Who is the being within the individual, and is he/she determining the optimum actions to be taken, or is one living reactively to self-imposed responsibility, demand, expectation, need,
drive, which fulfills the quest of an image--at the expense of the realization of an enlightened and loving human being?

As life is but a series of moments, for which we know not when they cease, may we consider replacing the New Year Resolutions with a New Year’s Practice of Self-Awareness, which moves us to greet our innumerable choices of action with openness, balance, courage, and trust, that we may live a heart-centered and mind-aligned Life of limitless possibility and opportunity.

“Every man dies, not every man really lives.” -Braveheart

“Our job in this lifetime is not to shape ourselves into some ideal we imagine we ought to be, but to find out who we already are and become it.” -Steven Pressfield