I don’t have any resolutions set for 2019. I don’t think I had any last year either or the year before that. That’s just me and there is nothing wrong with having them. Instead, what I have had for years now are visions of what I would like to continue working on. No set deadlines, no absolutes, no pressure. This year, I envision discipline and a lot of self-love.

Sometimes the personal relationships we have with ourselves are weakened because we have not made those deadlines, accumulated “washed-up” resolutions, and have failed to meet our own expectations. But these expectations we have do not quite take everything into account. We find our ‘inner voices’ speaking to ourselves dismissively and we feel deflated. Setting resolutions isn’t terrible. However, setting resolutions without any room for flexibility can become very problematic. Things constantly change and we must learn to be adaptable if we want to win at this thing called ‘life.’ We gotta learn to just ride the waves.

Compassion, self-acceptance, and recognition of all that we have accomplished so far is a great start to a new year. Loving oneself on the great days, on the mediocre days, and on the not-so-good days. Having gratitude, too, invokes a feeling within ourselves as though we can conquer anything.  We need to make sure we have enough “oomph,” to fuel our fires, springing out of bed with a smile, and prepared to conquer whatever the world may throw at us. Understanding what your priorities are is first. Every step after that can be as small or big as you can manage. Be kind to yourself, gentle in your inner-self talk, and watch your life blossom. Cheers to a beautiful new year!