Every day of our life gives us a chance to start something new. Such as, the beginning of a new year, finishing school, leaving a job and starting a new one, starting a new project, or changing homes – every day is a chance to turn our minds to fresh starts. A new day brings with it the energy of a new event, creating a tide of change around it that we can ride to our next shoreline. But we can choose to start anew anytime. In any moment we can decide that a bad day or a relationship that’s gotten off on the wrong foot can be started again. It is a mental shift that allows us to clean the slate and approach anything with fresh eyes, and we can make that choice at any time.
Starting new is most powerful when we focus our attention to what we are choosing to create. Giving all of our attention to the unwanted aspects of our lives allows what we resist to persist. The past is gone; we need to learn from it and move on. The future has not happened. The only time we have is now, the present moment. So, we need to remember to leave enough room in the process of new beginnings to nurture ourselves, because it takes time to become accustomed to anything new, no matter how much we like it. There is no need to get down on ourselves if we don’t reach our new goals instantly. Instead, we acknowledge the forward motion and choose to reset and start again, knowing that with each choice we learn, grow, and move forward.
Let me give you a quick exercise, before you go to sleep, take ten minutes and make a gratitude list. List all the good things that happened to you during the day. For example, you are alive and made it through the day and that in itself is a lot to be grateful for. When you do this, no matter how bad you think your day has been I guarantee you making this list will enable you to identify many good things that happened to you during the day. This simple nightly exercise will enable you to sleep better and wake up in the morning with a fresh new perspective on the new day.
Making the choice to start anew has its own energy — it’s a promise made to you. The forward momentum creates a sort of vacuum behind it, pulling toward you all you need to help you continue moving in your chosen direction. Once the journey has begun, it may take unexpected turns, but it never really ends. Like cycles in nature, there are periods of obvious growth and periods of dormancy that signal a time of waiting for the right moment to burst forth. Each time we choose to start anew we dedicate ourselves to becoming living our life purpose and being true to our spirit.