New Year, New Choices
Happy 2011 to you. I hope that you had a wonderful holiday season and are refreshed and ready to tackle the year ahead with vigour and vitality. While the start of a year always brings with it a sense of new possibility, I must confess that I feel somewhat bemused by all the “New Year, New You!” messages that have been on the airwaves for the last few weeks.
The idea just doesn’t make much sense to me, because every day I work with people who are enhanced by age and experience, not devalued by it. It is our experiences – good and bad – that make us interesting and contribute to the rich tapestry of our lives, even if they do contribute to the wear and tear on our bodies and emotions. I suspect that most of us put far higher value on the things in our lives that have been around a while, that have a few chips and scratches which bear testament to the passing of time, and that contain memories of people and events that have been important to us.
If there was a fire and I only had time to save one (inanimate) thing from my home, it would not be the beautiful new computer I acquired this week, it would be an old, battered carpet that belonged to my parents. I grew up playing Monopoly, reading about the Enchanted Forest and creating imaginary worlds on that carpet. It has been around my whole life and every blemish carries a memory; the frayed edges (helped by me idly pulling loose threads while listening to my favourite stories), the shiny patches (wax crayons and heat are not a good combination) and the faded colours all remind me of who I am and where I come from. No new carpet could measure up.
Which is why I feel so surprised that anyone would want to replace themselves with a brand new version. A version that would have no history, have learned no lessons, have no memories, and have to start all over again from the beginning.
Thank goodness it isn’t possible to change who we are. It is, however, possible to change how we are; by giving ourselves permission to make new choices (to eat better, to exercise more, to find work we love), we can become healthier, happier and stronger, and live more fulfilled and meaningful lives. We can choose to make changes that will lead us closer to our best lives. I am finalising a whole lot of coaching choices which I will share with you over the next few newsletters, and I hope to cross paths with you in the months ahead.
May this be the year that you allow yourself to make choices that add value to your experience of your life, your relationships and your sense of meaning and purpose.
Love Judy