Happy New Year to all of you. It is that time of year again when tradition prompts us to make resolutions or goals for the coming year. The gyms get busy for 30 or 40 days, the liquor stores get a bit slower for a brief period and new routines collectively kick into action across the world. The vast majority of these resolutions will go un-resolved because it is an attempt to drive change from the outside and not the inside. This outside game is usually doomed to failure. Permanent change is always an inside job. I used to play the outside change game too, and the results were nil until I understood I was asking the wrong question.
Instead of asking what is it that I need to do? I learned to ask who it is that I want to be? Who do I want to become and where am I aiming?
If I reflect, focus and direct my energy on who I want to be, what needs to happen will occur organically and in a sustainable way. If, for a stylized example, I want to be fully present, dependable and engaged with the people I love, it will drive me to stop drinking, stop smoking, keep fit and get proper rest. The future Self that I am working to become will drive my actions. It is all very quantum in a way, but it is how transformation works.
Who are you becoming in 2025? Who do you choose to be? Where are you aiming?
As I reflected on 2025 my answer was very loud. I have spent the past 5-years seeking redemption from a darker episode in my life. I have repented, made amends where possible, and have tried to live a life driven by spiritual principles with rigorous honesty at the top of the list. I have sought salvation though deepening my conscious contact with God as I understand God.
It’s Time for me to accept my redemption. It’s Time to move forward with my purpose.
"All you can do for another person is be an environment in which if they wanted to come up for air, they could" – Ram Dass
It’s time for me to let go of the need to be redeemed and become the one who redeems. I want to be the safe container of transformation for anyone who chooses repentance, and who chooses to walk away from the characters they have been playing all their lives, to let go of the stories that have trapped them and be the person they came here to be. I choose to be:
non-judgemental
unconditionally forgiving
patient
hold the posture of surrender
humble before God
humorous (because we need to laugh through the pain of it)
non-attached
I choose to aim high and when I stumble - to aim even higher
Happy New Year from the Way
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