As we turn the page on the calendar and usher in a new decade, I thought it would be the opportune time to plan out what I want to do in 2020. While I’m not a believer in setting “resolutions” in the traditional sense, I do still like to set goals for myself. I’d much rather approach these as goals than resolutions, but I don’t want to get into a contextual discussion about the use of goal vs resolution.
As a compromise, here are 7 things I will do in 2020:
I think it is fair to say that 2019 was a year of change. Not only 2019, but the latter part of this decade has brought on change. Our world has faced a myriad of changes in so many different forms. We have had major catalysts such as Donald Trump who have accelerated change. Like him or loathe him, we cannot argue that he has not been a trigger for change in the world. It remains to be seen where the changes he has activated will bring us, but I remain on the hopeful side of the discussion.
We’ve seen perceptual changes this past year as well. One of the biggest forces behind one of these shifts was Greta Thunberg. This 16-year old climate activist has mobilized a massive amount of people around the globe. While there is still much work to do here, the fact that so many millions upon millions of people have started to shift their focus to this new mindset is both amazing and encouraging.
Come gather ’round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You’ll be drenched to the bone. If your time to you Is worth savin’ Then you better start swimmin’ Or you’ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin’.
Bob Dylan, The Times They Are a-Changin’
On a personal front, this year has seen some change as well. I’ve had a change of job, I’ve had changes in my own mindset and perceptions about myself and the world around me. I continue to grow and evolve as a person and do feel that I’m ending this year, and this decade, as a better version of myself than I began as.
Tout change…everything changes. That is the one absolute in life.
I started the year with a post about change. I thought it fitting to end on a post about change.
It doesn’t take a lot to make a change. You can change your habits, you can change your career path, you can change your opinion, you can change anything. I feel that one of the most challenging changes is that of perception and attitude. Remember that you don’t have to make huge changes to have an impact on yourself of those around you. Every thought you have, every action you take, is like a drop of water hitting a pool. Each drop causes tiny little ripples to shoot out in every direction around you. These ripples can turn into waves. The more ripples you make, the further it will spread around you.
It is important to be mindful of what you are putting out into the world. When those waves hit the edge of the water, it causes a rebound to come back towards you. What you put out, you get in return. If you focus your energy on negativity, on pain, on suffering, you will attract that same energy back onto you. Take the challenge to try to change your thoughts; even if it’s just for one minute each day. I dare you to try.
Walking across the street outside the office today, I nearly slipped on the wet pavement. In reality, I did a Scooby-Doo kind of footfall, but managed to stay standing, if slightly embarrassed.
If you were able to heal yourself, would you do it? What if that meant you had to believe in yourself and love yourself, unconditionally? Are you still game? Or does the spectre of doubt start to creep back into your mind?
On this Thanksgiving Day, I want to give thanks to myself. It’s not the normal thing you hear on Thanksgiving, but I’ll take a page from Martin Latulippe’s Instagram story this weekend and say thank you to me. Thank you for investing in myself for my own growth and development.
This weekend, my wife and I invested in ourselves by purchasing tickets to attend Soul Tribe Live in Halifax. This event was headlined by Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love and Big Magic, among others. Not only did we invest in buying tickets, but we opted to splurge and buy the VIP package tickets on the day the tickets went on sale.
It seems as though everywhere you turn these days, someone is ranting about something. Talking heads ranting about this or that on the “news”, talk show hosts giving a diatribe about something, even entire TV series devoted to delivering well scripted (and often humorous) rants (I’m looking at you John Oliver and Hassan Minhaj). And with the spread of social media and podcasts, everyone seems to have a voice in this noise storm. I suppose you could almost say this is my rant against rants.
I’ve always believed that the Universe provides us signs; that is, if we’re willing to look for them. As I’ve continued on my growth journey these past years, I’ve become more attuned to the messages that are being directed to me. In more recent weeks, I’ve embarked on a self-help program (for lack of better terms) with a view of resetting myself. How fitting then that the program is called Reset?
As part of the program, I am meditating regularly, writing out gratitudes daily, looking for patterns in my behaviour and seeing if I’m activating and following my values. While I’ve always considered myself an observer, I’m being much more heedful of myself and my surroundings as I work through the process. As a result, I’ve started noticing more signs, messages and synchronicities presenting themselves.
Show of hands – how many of you have that friend, that family member, that co-worker who’s just plain old negative? No matter what’s going on, they’ll find some way to complain and criticize something. I’m guessing that most of you have your hands in the air. (You can put your hand down.) Now, take a step back and wonder if maybe you’re that person in someone else’s life.
How often have you asked yourself that question? It seems that it’s human nature to always go to a worst-case scenario when we’re looking at possible outcomes. Some of us do it because we’re mimicking the thought process our parents followed, others do it because of a bad experience that occurred that you just can’t shake. Or maybe it’s related to anxiety, chronic depression or other mental health issues.
This will be a slightly longer, work-related post dealing with some frustrations I have and learning to move forward. Just giving fair warning to any who dare venture forward. 🙂
