No New Me

"New year, new me!" "New year, fresh start!" "New year, new beginnings!" "This is my year!" Aaaaaand other such BS people say at New Year's...

Look, I'm not anti-starting-over by any means. You want to drastically reinvent yourself? Bless you Madonna! Making a vow to take better care of yourself in some way in 2022? More power to you! Cutting those bangs you keep dreaming of? Actually, consult a professional for that one please. It's just not my scene.

I don't want to be a new me. I like me. I love me. Hell, I'm working on LOVING me more and more each day. Maybe that's why I can't buy into the reinvention scene. There is no version of me that can escape the previous versions of itself. Let's be real here...the earlier models where the very inspiration for each upgrade. Why would I ever hope to shed something so inspiring?

I would be lying if I said I wasn't making goals for the upcoming year. Professional goals, self-care goals, marriage goals, family goals...you could say I'm goal oriented! (Yuk yuk - gotta love a good uncle joke!) None of those goals have me shedding the person I am. They do, however, require going deeper into the deepest parts of me and getting to know, embrace, and live my truest truth.

This year, I'd like to introduce a new idea. A new tradition of embracing endings. Endings get such a bad rep. Sure, they can be sad but they can also be exciting. Endings are the new possibilities that everyone raves about every NYE. Endings ARE the new beginnings. You cannot chase your new dream if you don't allow the old one (or older version) to end.

How do I propose we do this? Well, first, take the time to get to know the ending at hand. Give yourself the space and permission to process, understand, and accept the ending. This is a personal experience. It means calling your bestie or journaling or dancing or running or scream-singing to some old school Alanis or ugly crying in the shower (you know that guttural sounding ugly cry that could shake the very ground beneath you).

Allow yourself to fully and completely FEEL all the feelings. You may be shocked to see what's actually showing up. Get really quiet with yourself and your mind and pay attention. Listen closely to the message these feelings are bringing you. Keep the message and release the messenger.

Now, it's time to open our hearts and our minds to approach the next stage. This ending has created space for the something new. It's not time to mourn the end. Rather it's time to celebrate and honor it. Hey, no one shows up to a retirement party for a respected, well-loved colleague pissed off and reveling in the pain of losing them. Let's do this the same.

As you go into the ending of an unforgettable year, let us respectfully celebrate and honor all it brought and all it's making space for. Then, bring the glorious, beautiful, ever-evolving NOW you into 2022 ready to embrace the next phase with peace and love.

Love, peace, & gratitude,

Maureen