Whoa, Slow Down
I’ve just returned from a snowy walk in the woods with my pooch, Georgie Girl.
I was thinking about the new year and all the noise and talk about the “New Year and the New You.”
All the pressure to change.
All the pressure to make promises and resolutions.
It all feels like so much to me. And I wonder how it’s all feeling to you?
I wonder if you’re starting this new year in a place of peace and compassion for yourself…
…or do you have a long list of all the shoulds and have-tos that you must do now that the calendar has turned to a new year?
You know I want all of us to show up as our best selves.
That is my wish for you, for me, for all of us.
Yet, I also know at this time of year there’s a big temptation to make big radical changes and try to jump so high and so far that we risk falling in between the massive chasm that exists between the place where we currently are and the place we want to be.
I invite you to hold up both hands flat in front of you with your palms facing up. Let one hand represent where you are now. Raise the other hand 6, 10, 12 inches higher to represent the place you want to be. Notice the space in between. A lot of space. Space to fall. Space to lose hope. Space to give up.
I believe we have to take small steps to make lasting change and get to the place where we’re living the life of our dreams.
One step, then another. Then another, and another after that.
As we keep taking those small steps, we’re creating new habits and building new neuropathways in our brains.
So what is one small and simple step you can take today?
A short walk outside?
Several glasses of water throughout the day?
Make your bed?
Call an old friend?
Sit quietly with your eyes closed for a few minutes?
Play a piece of classical music while you sit down to answer emails?
Write in your journal?
Read a chapter in the book that’s been sitting on your bedside table since the fall?
You get to choose. Just make it easy, realistic and doable.
And perhaps, after a while, you’ll be ready to take another step and add in another new habit.
And perhaps, at some point along the way, you’ll notice that you’ve made some significant shifts in your life.
Then hold up your two hands in front of you again and notice if that distance between your hands has closed a bit.
And then prepare to take another step.
And then another.
True and lasting change takes time.
Make that your gift to yourself this new year.
I’d love to hear about any changes you’re making in your life! You can email me at kasey@kaseymathews.com or shoot me a message over on my Facebook page.
If you’re looking for digestible bites of inspiration every day, you can check it out here – Kasey Mathews: Author, Speaker, Coach
With love and blessings,
Kasey