New Beginnings
You know that expression, “new year, new you”? I don’t know about you, but that has always driven me crazy. I kind of feel like using January 1 as a deadline for resetting just sets us up for disappointment and failure. So this is definitely NOT about that! It is about new beginnings, though, and new beginnings can literally start at any time.
It’s important not to get caught up in the idea that new beginnings have to start at a certain moment, like New Year’s Day or your birthday, or the day you lose weight or get that job, or end that relationship or begin a new one, and that if they don’t start then, then you blew your chance. That is just not the case! New beginnings can start at any moment, any day. They can (and usually do) start over and over again.
New beginnings happen the moment when you decide you want something different for yourself—something better—and then you take steps to make it happen. It doesn’t matter if you take a baby step or a giant leap. It doesn’t matter if you take one step forward and then five steps back. Or you take one step forward and hang out there for a week, a month, a year, etc. As long as you are taking a step, you are moving forward, thus creating a new beginning for yourself!
Personally, I’ve never waited for the “right” moment to appear to start fresh because I learned early on that that moment never appears. The trick is to shift your perspective and decide to create the moment. I have done this over and over again for as long as I can remember. Sometimes I launched immediately. Other times, I would start and stop over and over again, day after day until it/I took off. The one thing I never did was give up or wait for what I wanted to happen to/for me. If you are waiting for that perfect day or that perfect moment, you’re going to be waiting for the rest of your life, and that’s the truth. So just get going now, whatever that looks like.
The first step is always the hardest, but that first step is also the most critical. It sets in motion a chain of events that will take you where you want to go. Remember, don’t get attached to the timing or the results, because that’s not what matters, especially at the beginning. Just get started.
So…how do you get started? This, this is the million-dollar question. And the answer begins in your mind. You have to think about what you want to be different and what you need to change in your current situation. You have to ask yourself what is working and what isn’t working. This is the key to unlocking change. You will begin to manifest whatever it is you want, but remember, this takes time. You have to live it in your subconscious before you bring it into your consciousness and then, of course, into your reality.
This means that if you don’t immediately see change in the physical world, don’t give up. It’s happening. But it’s like when we plant a seed in the ground. We don’t see the flower right away. A lot has to happen underground before the flower can bloom. The same is true for us as human beings.
Generally speaking, we tend to walk through life with our eyes closed, kind of like sleepwalking or living on autopilot. Sure, some may like Dunkin over Starbucks. Some may like tea over coffee. But we are all just doing some version of the same thing, all the while expecting certain results but then missing the mark. I mean, how is it that we are all supposed to have the same goals and dreams in life? The answer is that we aren’t, but we have been conditioned to believe that if we check off certain boxes (like getting a certain job and getting married at a certain age, or having babies or a certain kind of body) then we will achieve happiness and success. But that just isn’t the case, is it? If it were, then why are so many of us walking around feeling miserable?
The truth is we each have our own unique and authentic makeup, our own paths, our own versions of happiness and success. Most of us just haven’t tapped into ours yet, usually because we have learned to focus on the external rather than the internal. When you start questioning what it is you want—and you go deep—you get in touch with your soul. Yes, your soul! It is not up for debate whether or not we have a soul. What is up for debate is whether or not we choose to tune in to our soul and learn what it wants. When we do this, we begin to live more authentically. And those new beginnings are easier to attempt because we start to feel better organically.
Again, initiating a meaningful new beginning is all about becoming more aware. Who am I? Not, “Who do my parents want me to be based on their conscious or unconscious wants, needs and desires?” But, “Who am I at my core? What do I like? What don’t I like? Am I living the life I want or the life I always thought I was supposed to? What is my belief system, and is it one that was imposed upon me, or is it truly mine?” When we start exploring ourselves on a deeper level, that’s when we begin to understand ourselves. It’s when we start tuning into what and who we are. And this is where the magic happens. This is the first step to a new beginning.