Many of us view the new year as an
opportunity to get rid of the old and bring in the new, resolving to
become new and improved versions of ourselves. My challenge to you in
2012 is to start the new year by reclaiming the old. Before becoming
enamoured with the possibilities of the “new you”, ask yourself
if you've given the old you a fair shake. After all, whats so bad
about the old you? We are all so unique, yet we rarely allow our
brilliance to shine before we are trying to somehow “improve” or
“renew” ourselves.
We live in a culture that tells us we
can make ourselves new by changing our face, shape, clothing,
friends, perspective or occupation. In reality, change comes from
within, not from any external source. Listening to our inner voice
that offers guidance and wisdom beyond our mortal years allows us to
connect with our old self, rediscover our uniqueness and put our
authentic selves forward in all that we do. By rediscovering your
authentic self and sharing that with others, you make a new creation
from your old self.
What a precious gift our friends,
families, lovers, and communities lose if we fail to acknowledge who
we are and share our individuality. Many of us ignore our own needs
and desires, in order to meet the demands of others. When we make a
habit of this, we risk creating a latent self, who we really are
still exists but is no longer obvious or visible. When we become
“invisible” it is very difficult, if not impossible to connect
with others, including ourselves. As a result, we bumble around
trying to identify and connect through things in our commercial and
social world. We believe it necessary to change our self in order to
connect and find more meaning in our lives when what we really need
to do is reclaim and embrace what already exists, the old you. I
suggest that as long as we continue to look outside ourselves for
meaning and renewal we will continue to experience a disconnect from
ourselves and others. The best way to make meaningful connections and
feel comfortable in our own skin is to get to know our old, latent
self and share our uniqueness with others.
To become reacquainted with your old
self, cultivate what makes you smile, trust your gut, remember what
hobbies and activities you did that seemed to make time fly,
recollect topics of conversation that made you sit up straight, move
to the edge of your seat and fight the urge to shoot your arm up in
the air and shout “me!, pick me!” It will be all of these things
that offer clues to our individuality and that which brings us joy.
To live a more joyous life and share
our unique gifts with others, we must ensure our life reflects and
includes all of the above. Self care is not an option to living a
meaningful life. A full life demands more from us than just showing
up. We must “bring it” and by “it” I mean our full, lovely
and unique self.
This year, why not make your new years
resolution the arduous task of excavating your latent desires,
meeting your needs and rediscovering your joy. Just imagine
discovering that what you've been seeking all this time has been
within you all along, your old self.
Best Wishes in 2012 from the Motivation Medics Team
