New Year - 2014

I always try to write a nice little post for New Years, but honestly, this year, I kind of feel like this:

Ha! On one level, nothing really changes at all as one year ends and a new one begins. And the idea of setting resolutions for the new year is a nice gesture, but one that I'm a bit worn out on...it seems to have become a bit too cliche. It is definitely good to set goals, though. After all, if I didn't set goals, I would never get anything accomplished. However, setting them at the beginning of the year hasn't really been all that helpful for me. To achieve one's dreams, action and awareness really needs to be present each and every day...incorporated into our everyday routine.

I like the idea of a Sankalpa, as opposed to a resolution. Sankalpa is a Sanskrit word meaning "will, purpose, or determination." In my opinion, that  is the formula for real success anyway. Success comes from setting an intention in regard to a desire or goal that one authentically wants to achieve. This year, I'm asking myself what is most important for me to focus on and accomplish. I'll write it out or create a picture or other reminder, and post it somewhere where I will see it every day. With effort, determination and focus, we can accomplish just about anything. Resolutions often fade away because we don't put in an effort on a day-to-day basis...or we resolve to do things that really aren't that dear to us at a deep level. Sometimes we also overwhelm ourselves with too many resolutions, which are not realistically achievable. 

This year, I just want to kick ass. I want to get closer to my goals than I did last year and stay focused on what is really important to me and what I really want to achieve; things that I hold close to my heart and soul. The new year also marks a good time to reflect back on the year, lessons learned, challenges faced, the good times, the bad times, holding gratitude for it all and then letting it go to start anew. A symbolic "death and rebirth." And this is a good thing to do all year...the cycle of death and rebirth is necessary and constant in our lives.

For 2014, focusing on just a few intentions, but doing so everyday, will hopefully help me to achieve some things before another year passes and time slips away, as it has a tendency to do. Also, as Buddhism teaches, I will try not to focus too much on the future or dwell too much in the past and remember the importance of the present moment. Things are constantly in flux and impermanent, and so all of our goals and dreams become an unknown dance, in which the journey is often just as important, if not more so, than the outcome or the expectations that we may hold. Setting goals is a necessary part of the path towards reaching our dreams and desires...but it is also important to be mindful of the journey itself and not just the end result. That is often where the lessons are and where the growth occurs. 

Finally, being the "quote whore" that I am, I cannot close a post on the new year without some quotes:

“Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book. Write a good one.” ~Brad Paisley

 “For a new year to bring you something new, make a move, like a butterfly tearing its cocoon! Make a move!” ~Mehmet Murat Ildan

“The journey is the reward.” ~Steve Jobs

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.” ~Henry Ford

Happy 2014 Everyone!!!!