Note from Louisa

​Each new year I am invigorated by the opportunity to “start anew”. A clean, fresh calendar, unobstructed by those tasks not yet tended to, the well-intentioned promises that fell by the wayside when the magnitude of the ask exceeded the allotted time. It feels good to wipe the slate clean and start again.
 
All too often, this “tabula rasa” approach is accompanied by the furious affirmations to do better this time; to have “this be the year I finally conquer (insert your goal of choice)”. If you ascribe to resolutions, perhaps you’ve noticed that they have in large part already been abandoned, though not quite a month has passed.
 
I have long let go of such fantasies, choosing instead to opt for self-compassion, knowing that, in each moment, I am trying to do my best, and giving myself grace when I fall short (which is embarrassingly often). I found that the resolutions I held often centered on things external to me, rather than focusing on trying to live my life more authentically, which includes embracing my shadow and shortcomings as a part of who I am.
 
While I love the communal aspect of beginning again together as the world celebrates rebirth in each of its myriad time zones, I know that rebirth isn’t dependent on the artifice of the calendar. Time is a co-created construct after all.
 
We don’t have to wait for the ball to drop to begin again. We don’t even have to wait until Monday… or tomorrow. We can start with the very next breath.
 
We don’t have to chastise ourselves when we fail to lose the weight, or delay applying to school, or don’t ask for the promotion by spring. We can be kind to ourselves, recognize our humanity, reaffirm why the goal is important to us (not why it’s important to others) and mindfully take that singular next breath.
 
Blessings on your journey,
Louisa