“An intention that is heart directed and authentic is a song that captures your whole being into attention. And when we are present in the moment and in who we are, the universe responds.”
Sometimes when I hear people talking about new year resolutions, things don’t always resonate with me. Especially in the healing community, it can feel like we are - with each year - becoming further and further removed from the true significance and essence of what a new year brings.
A new year does not simply equal a new you. And I know many of you reading this may have wished for that many times over, and yet time and again your goals and new year resolutions didn’t stick.
Do you know why your aspirations didn’t come to fruition?
If you have tried to accomplish an intention or goal, what did and/or did not work?
What gets in the way when you are trying to kick a bad habit, bring in a new routine, or shift a certain way of thinking?
I ask these questions because I think they are useful when reflecting on what your new year resolutions have been missing.
There is no magical closing of 2018, and then BOOM, up appears a shiny 2019, no. 2019 will only shine if you are able to recognize your strengths, as well as the places you underestimate or sabotage yourself.
What is your new year resolution missing?
I think most resolutions are lacking true authenticity and deep understanding.
In order to create a powerful resolution, every word needs to articulate the exact thing that you want to fulfill. We must dive deeper than the surface level statement, “I want to lose weight,” and uncover the real hook, “I want to hold a better relationship with my self-love and discipline” (and I’m sure even this statement could be simplified further).
In this example I would ask:
How would your life be different if you weighed less?
What kind of a man or woman wants to lose weight?
What would you get/receive from feeling lighter?
I believe that the true root of a resolution will be at the end of those questions. In order to truly acquire something, we must understand it. The more aspects of ourselves - body, mind, and spirit - that we can bring on board to this journey, the more depth and sustainability our goals will have in the physical realm.
A meditation for your authentic resolutions
Below is a recording of a short visualization to help you access the roots of your goals. This exercise was written and inspired by my Reiki Master Teacher, Shirley Lynn Martin. Although this recording is short, it is direct and efficient. You can do this exercise many times, and each time you may find similar or different reflections surface. Give yourself 20 minutes for this exercise.
You will need a pen and paper/journal, as well as a quiet space where you can focus your awareness and energy inwards. This could also be a nice time to light some incense, burn some sage and/or palo santo, play some calming music in the background, and turn off any ringers on your phone or computer so that you can create a distraction-free container for your journey.
When you are ready, you may click below:
Reflection Piece
“Of all the things I have done, what makes me the most healthy, happy, and at peace?”
When you visualized your future self what did you look like, stand like, feel like? How did you move, what were you doing, where were you? What was the same and what was different?
Journal about as much as you can remember and with as much detail as you can. Take as much time as you would like. If you are more of a creative visual mind, feel free to draw and sketch out different aspects of your visualization. Get creative!
So, how do we create SMART goals?
Phrase your goal in the present. AVOID: I will quit smoking. TRY: I am smoke-free. Feel the difference?
Phrase it in the positive. AVOID: I will not smoke cigarettes. TRY: I am a non-smoker.
Focus on the end result - phrase your goal so that it embodies the end goal.
The goal needs to be realistic - can you measure or track your goal or progress?
Include yourself in the goal statement. In your goal allow yourself to be in present tense and in active motion. For example: “I am a non-smoker” is a goal that holds the person in the present moment, they are active in their goal outcome - non-smoker - and it is written in a positive tense.
SMART goals work with a successful acronym that can help you build sustainable goals:
S - specific: be specific about what you want to achieve
M - measurable: make sure you can track your progress, so you can be accountable to change.
A - alignment: you agree that this is indeed something in alignment with your core values/wants
R - realistic: is this goal realistic, relevant, and reasonable?
T - timely: is this goal tangible and can we track this over time? How much time is reasonable to make this goal a reality?
How can we bring the sacred into our resolutions?
Reflecting on what you want to shift in your life is powerful, AND I know we can make it even more potent by bringing in the essence of the sacred.
Make time for yourself to perform a short and simple ceremony (30-40 minutes, you can take longer if you wish).
Start by cleaning your chosen space, make it beautiful.
If you have any sage or palo santo burn your sacred herbs/woods, open a window and clear out your space.
If you have crystals, you may feel pulled to clear them with sacred herbs/woods and then place them in your sacred space.
Put on some relaxing music or enjoy silence in your space.
Take 5-10 minutes to move your body - mindful movement - this may include yoga, shake medicine, dancing, etc. Just move your body to release energy and ground you back into your physical form.
When you feel ready for stillness, find a seat or lay down. Allow your body and energy to settle down to your roots. From here, we want to build awareness around our energetic highway - imagine there’s a road traveling parallel to the spine, which allows your energy to move from your root system all the way up to your crown. When I am prepping my body-mind-spirit for ceremonial work, I like to check into my energetic highway and practice moving my energy up from my roots to my crown until I am able to imagine a big funnel opening above the top of my head. Perhaps here I will feel tingling on my crown or more energetic presence around and above my head and shoulders. What do you feel here? Sometimes it can be helpful to imagine you feel something - and then from that imagination space, you may, indeed, begin to feel and sense more.
Once you feel grounded, and your energetic pathways feel enlivened, this is a great time to acknowledge and ask your benevolent guides, angels, or ancestors to join you in presence if they would like to support you in your journey. It is important to ask for guides of the highest good and healing light to help - be specific about who you call on. You may feel a shift in the energy of the room, feel a wind move across your skin, warmth around you, or simply more joy and love in your heart, you may also feel nothing. All of the above are okay. With this support me may begin.
Reflect on your Authentic Resolution Visualization and choose one thing that you would like to embody. Now place that goal or desire into an I AM statement. For example: I am healing, I am cigarette free, I am vulnerable, I am strong, etc.
Once you have your I AM statement, spend 5-10 minutes in meditation. Inhale: I am, exhale: ________. Repeat. You may repeat this mantra for your entire meditation, or you may move in and out of silence.
You can return to this mantra meditation every day or throughout various times in your day: on break, in the car, before bed, etc. You may feel inspired to write the mantra out or draw a beautiful picture with your mantra and post it somewhere you look every day or in a sacred place such as an altar.
When you have finished your meditation, make sure to show gratitude and give thanks to any guides who may have joined you in your ceremony, and give yourself a blessing as well. I like to close my ceremonies with burning palo santo; however, you may burn sage or incense. Sometimes I enjoy closing ceremony with a drum or rolling OM. Make this your own ceremony and follow those little nudges, allow yourself to listen to those quiet, intuitive directions, and bask in your innate connection to the divine.
Release expectations
An intention that is heart directed and authentic is a song that captures your whole being into attention. And when we are present in the moment and in who we are, the universe responds.
At the end of writing your goals, it can be a good practice to close your goal or statement out loud with “this or something much better.” This not only allows you to release any (un)conscious expectations about how and when these goals will come into fruition. Moreover, it leaves room for right action to flow which may end up leading you down a much bigger and brighter path than you could have expected or dreamed of possible.
Accountability
Sometimes just putting our wants and goals into words or writing them out and bringing them into physical manifestation can create a catalyst for change and transition. So, if you would like to share your SMART goals or if you have any questions about how to word things, please use our community as a space for you to create change in your life. You are welcome to comment below on this blog with your goals or questions, and we will respond to you with love and support! If you are looking to learn more about creating sacred space and ceremony in your life, keep an eye out for my monthly Sacred Space lives on our Sunday Night Sanctuarys.
AUTHOR: Natasha Allain is an OSYL Igniter and Mirror of Truth, Modern Medium, Healer, Yogi & Intentional Artisan. Her main purpose is to truly see You. She is here to mirror your Gold and hold space for you to reclaim your Spirit! Together, you will journey inwards and foster a stronger communication line between your body, mind, and Spirit.
Find out more about Natasha and her services HERE.
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