HAPPY NEW YEAR!
One of my most disliked phrases is “New Year New You!”
Firstly you are wonderful just as you are, no need for a new version. Secondly, January is a really challenging time to start anything new. The natural world surrenders in January. Trees, plants, animals are pulled by a cyclical rhythm into still and quiet rest. Yet for humans rest is socially labeled as lazy or unproductive. Our 247 societal need means that rest is not deemed a priority. We give into the ideas of new years resolutions and hitting the gym on 1 January to punish ourselves for having fun in celebration during December. How about instead of honouring the calendar year we surrendered to the wheel of the year and lived in tune with the cycles of life and the seasons?
That is what I plan to do in 2025. And the theme for January is Rest.
Now rest doesn’t mean not doing anything – it means doing the things that fill your cup, taking a slower pace to enjoy the activities you do participate in.
I am starting the new year with a mindful goal for the charity Mind and moving my body for 31 minutes for each day of the 31 days of January. For me this can be a walk (inside on the treadmill or out in nature) or a jog/run. My first will be at the new years day Parkrun, so by the time this lands in your inbox I will have completed day 1 of my challenge.
As it is for charity I am seeking donations so if you are in a position to donate a small amount to this cause I would be very grateful. You can follow my progress over on my socials. This is something that I am hoping will help me rekindle good habits of moving more which I know makes me feel better and will help to fill my cup slowly and mindfully.
If you are not sure how to slow down, what activities to you can do in making time for you, then take a read of my ‘time for you tool kit’ which has inspiration and suggested activities based on your mood and energy levels.
January, being a new year, naturally provides an opportunity to consider our achievements in 2024 or perhaps what we have purposely let go of and dropped from our to do list. It also gives us an opportunity to plan for the upcoming year. What do we want this time next year to look like and feel like? What do we want to focus on? How do we want to get there? Setting intentions is the starting block for the direction of travel we want to take in 2025.
Our energy flows to where our attention goes. what ever we focus on, we get more of back. The principle of the law of attraction suggests that positive or negative thoughts and energies attract corresponding experiences or circumstances into one’s life. The power of mindset and intention in influencing behavior and outcomes. One of the ways we can set out our vision for the upcoming year is through a vision board – a visual reminder of our hearts desire – positive affirmation to support our journey towards our goals and objectives.
Engaging in creative activities such as making vision boards helps reduce stress, aids in self-awareness and expression and can help us enter a flow state where we are fully engaged in the present moment. I know that is something I personally really enjoy.
My friend Roxana (Imbody Journey) and I are hosting a cacao ceremony and vision board workshop in Southampton on 25 January to help you identify and visualise your goals for 2025. More details and booking link can be found here. I’d love to have you join us if you can.
One goal I have for 2025 is to be more proactive in calling out my gratitude. It is something I often do subconsciously, but I am aware that it has such a powerful impact when I make the time to consciously consider what I am grateful for, and I would love you to join me in this. Each week in 2025 I will be posting a gratitude question on my social media channels (you can find them at the bottom of my web page). I was lucky to meet Kevin D Monroe at a work event recently and picked myself up a set of his Gratitude Challenge cards. So I will use this as the basis for the weekly questions and look forward to filling social media with gratitude and positivity.
I hope you had an enjoyable festive period. How did you see in the New Year? Let me know in the comments below. My husband James and I met our neighbours for an early evening drink and then we came home, snuggled by the fire, ate good food and drank good wine. Slow and restful which is just what we needed. Much like our Christmas celebrations.
I am personally very excited by the plans I have for 2025 and I can’t wait to share them with you as we travel 2025 together.
Love and Light, Amy J, La Vida Lagom
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