A new leaf is still a leaf…and that’s okay [aka Tips for New Year’s Resolutions and #newyearnewyou]

We can all stand to make changes and improve ourselves. I would hope no one would deny that. However, that doesn’t mean we can’t love and appreciate ourselves as we are. Who is willing to try something else for 2022?

For every change/ resolution you make, link it to something good/ positive that you like about yourself!

I’ve read (okay scanned) various articles about training our brain with images and words. If we focus entirely on negative things, that becomes our brain’s default setting. We no longer even realize it’s a negative thought – it’s simply a thought.

I ran a marathon a lifetime ago. Being me, I started with a book. There was a 16-week training schedule and no, it didn’t start with running 26.2 miles. In fact, the training only went as high as 18/ 20 miles. We weren’t only training our bodies but also our minds and it wasn’t necessary to run the full amount. I read the book, completed my training, and I ran a marathon. Training our minds can allow our bodies to do amazing things.

Consider this your mental training guide to do amazing things in 2022. Let’s chat with some examples as it’s not fair if I don’t try to provide a guide.

Resolution: Get outside more.
Training: Maybe you have an active Instagram account and take great pictures? Okay then, embrace your photographer side and take walks/ hikes that include fantastic nature shots. Celebrate your artistic side while embracing a change.

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Resolution: Spend more time with your family.
Training: Maybe you’re adventurous and open to new things? Okay then, schedule a family event for axe throwing! Take something good in yourself and share it with your family in a new way.

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Resolution: Eat healthier.
Training: Maybe you have close friendships and spend quality time with your friends? Okay then, cook a meal together instead of visiting a restaurant or ordering in for movie night! Maintaining friendships is definitely a wonderful thing and you should enjoy your success in a new way.

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Yes, you may want to prune your leaves and the new year is a great time. Don’t forget to appreciate how much those leaves do for you though and how great they are.

Don’t forget to note how great you are!

There are numerous studies about how many are happier with a break from social media. Maybe now is a good time to try that yourself. And if it stresses you out, have pictures from your time away ready to share when you’re back online. Maybe even try blogging about the experience to document it.

These are your leaves (your life) and you deserve to embrace and enjoy them!

All leaves are different though. Yes, I’m enough of a geek to include a picture to illustrate this. Light, dark, prickly, shiny, big, small…they are all still leaves.

Get ideas from others, but don’t forget you’re unique.

Some plants need direct sunlight, others do better in the shade. Some flowers bloom in the spring, others in the summer or even the fall…and a Christmas cactus is beautiful in the dead of winter. Nature embraces differences and each plant is particularly suited to thrive in its own way and its own time.

Humans don’t come with those handy tags. We need to work and try new things to figure out what works for us. Maybe 2022 is the year you can figure out some of those things for yourself…if you focus on the positive and not just the negative.

Change and growth can be hard if you’re a fall flower surrounded by spring bloomers. It can be hard if you prefer hours of direct sun but have a lot of shade in your life.

Fortunately, we have options plants don’t have. We can move – physically and mentally. We have choices each and every day. Even if we make a bad choice (and we will), we still have opportunities to make changes.

Growth and changes take work. To keep the plant comparison alive, picture a farmer or gardener. They have cuts, callouses, and scars. They get sweaty and dirty and the work is exhausting. Neither are easy jobs.

A new leaf is still a leaf…but that doesn’t mean it’s not a beautiful sign of change and growth. A new leaf is still a leaf…but that doesn’t mean it didn’t take hard work. A new leaf is still a leaf and that’s okay.

I’ve found that as a writer, words inspire new growth in me so I’ll end this little ramble with some quotes about making changes, taking responsibility, and enjoying life. I will also include a few links to related blogs in case you wish to continue reading.

Feel free to comment with your tips and experiences or contact me via my website – I’m always looking for guest bloggers on the subjects of books, training, travel, animals, and more of my personal favorite subjects. Perhaps making new friends is on both of our new year’s resolutions list this year!

I wish each of you sunshine, rain, rich soil, and a bit of fertilizer to help your garden grow in 2022.

-RSJ

QUOTES:
Don’t wait for a light to appear at the end of the tunnel, stride down there and light the bloody thing yourself. -Sara Henderson
Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway. -John Wayne
Greatness is not a function of circumstance. Greatness, it turns out, is largely a matter of conscious choice, and discipline. -Jim Collins
The only real failure in life is not to be true to the best one knows. –Buddha
Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength. -Corrie Ten Boom
Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life. -Omar Khayyam

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Worldview: What’s your prescription?
New Year, New Others?