Do you remember the New Year’s resolutions you made way back in January 2020 – back before COVID-19 and quarantines?
I know. It’s July, and those resolutions may be long forgotten by now. They might seem to belong to another time, a different life.
You may believe that those goals are no longer important. In the context of the many global shifts that are occurring, I get why that may seem true!
But what if the opposite is true? What if it’s more important than ever to make your health and well-being a priority?
When we learn to love and care for ourselves first, our work comes from energetic abundance rather than diminished supply.
Energetic abundance is what will support us as we navigate our new normal. The world needs more people who are tapped into abundance and generosity.
We Can't Love Others More Than We Love Ourselves
When we fill our own cups to replenishment, we are better able to give and care for others. (Without feeling resentful and drained.)
So what if keeping our self-care resolutions is actually an act of service to both ourselves AND everyone around us?
Until we fully adopt the belief that self-care is an essential act of love (and not just something nice to have), achieving our goals will remain out of reach.
For example, my New Year’s resolution to meditate daily had flopped two years in a row. Though I’m a disciplined person, those failures are a testament to the power of belief. Until I began to shift my beliefs about self-care, my resolution couldn’t gain traction.
First, I had to strengthen my belief in the importance of meditation as powerful medicine. I knew that one of the pillars of self-care is stress management. Twenty minutes of daily focused relaxation is recommended to de-stress.
And even though I’d read so much about the benefits of meditation, I still wasn’t filling my own cup.
I was able to re-commit to my goal only when I made my own care at least as important as care for my loved ones.
Where Does Perfectionism Show Up?
I was sabotaging my resolution efforts through my perfectionist tendencies. They sounded like this:
It isn’t working.
I’m not doing it right.
It isn’t enough.
I don’t know how. (Maybe I need to research it some more.)
Does this sound familiar?
Is this a thought pattern that you know all too well?
If so, then you can guess what came next: Trying to create a meditation practice became stressful! Is it any wonder that my resolution didn’t stick?
Stress was still running the show, so something needed to change.
I began to slowly undo the “Not Enough” programming in my life.
To make my meditation habit stick, I embraced the idea that no matter what my practice looked like, it was enough.
My only expectation was that I show up for myself each day. The way in which I meditated became an experiment.
Without self-judgment, my practice deepened all on its own.
There was freedom in the simplicity of the practice and less worry about the outcome.
After two years of attempting my resolution, I now have a sustainable practice … and more joy.
With every meditation practice, I am cultivating connection to my inner knowing, and with others.
Making Your Health a Priority
You, too, may have made a New Year’s resolution to take better care of yourself.
Is that still important to you?
Are you telling yourself that you don’t know the right way?
Do you believe that you don’t know how, or that you’ve failed too many times before?
Your past attempts don’t have to mean anything about your future success.
What matters is that you are a person who is willing to try.
When it’s all just an experiment, you get to run it in a way that feels true to you.
You get to go as fast or as slow as you like.
If you knew what to do next, what would it be? Run your experiment, and see where it leads!
I’m with you on the journey.
Christine
P.S. What experiment are you willing to try? I’d love to hear about what matters most as far as your personal well-being.