It’s 2019 now. A week has passed since it ticked over. 2018 was a good year. It taught me more than i ever imagined it would. I’m thankful for what was. The lessons we learn about ourselves are just so valuable. The world will tell you how things could be, but i’ve found that there is much more value in what we learn on our own terms. Things have to be done on our own terms, on our own time.

Essentially, you just have to let things happen and control what you can control. When i look back i see the way in which things did work out and almost always it happened in a way in which i couldn’t control.

It seems we line every new year with hopes and desires. We make a mental checklist of what the year will be about. Most of the time it doesn’t end up resembling that list by the time we evaluate our year.

It’s funny that!

New Years resolutions usually get laughed about and then forgotten about. We then make the argument that why should it matter when i commit to a resolution? There’s no reason why i can’t commit to something on January 1st or October 24th is there?

But resolutions should hold more value than perhaps what we allow them to. Yes, the New Years versions become questionable, but the idea of resolutions come back to the things that we hope for and dream about. That is why they should matter. Because somewhere along the process they reveal a part of who we are or hope to be. It’s a chance for us to actually listen to ourselves and hear what our inner self is saying.

The challenge in all this may actually be not so much in the things we decide we hope for and then strive towards, but maybe a better idea is to practice the same thought process more intentionally and more regularly in our day to day lives. Maybe we need to listen to our inner self a little more. Maybe listening more to ourselves and less to the noises around us is more worthwhile??

The new year is often looked at as a clean slate,  a chance to move on from what was….and create hopefully what will be. Others will tackle new adventures, next steps and next chapters. It’s all a chance to build on our own stories.

One of the things i will do in 2019 is remember the way i grew in the past year. From there i want to push on and build on my own story. I learned more than i could’ve expected last year. I found value in places i hadn’t previously bothered investing enough time in. One example was in the way i connected with people. I found value in being more open and more accesible to those around me.

Sometimes i become like my own person and i get the feeling i can be hard to read. Why? Because i wouldn’t open myself up for others to appreciate. I’ve learned that we all need to be more open with each other because it’s in that place that we connect and build relationships. I love the phrase “people need other people”. It couldn’t be more true. I think we need the right people in our lives as much as we need the air we breathe.

What i want to encourage you all for the year ahead is to remember that there is purpose in who you are. There is purpose in just where you are in life right now. There is purpose in the things that you will do this year. No matter what 2019 looks like for you, remember that it is all part of the plan. Remind yourself that you are strong enough to face what ever it is that challenges you right now. Remind yourself to embrace the year ahead. Enjoy the things around you.

Remember to feel alive. Remind yourself to smile, to laugh and love. Remind yourself to listen, to wait and be patient.  Encourage yourself to dig deep for strength if you need it.  Pray about it if you believe in prayer. Invest yourself in those around you who make you feel good….and keep clear of those who drag you down or frustrate you.

Remind yourself that the year ahead is an open book. Nothing is set. The pages of that book are empty. The possibilities are all there. What are you going to write on the pages? Only you will know. Listen to your heart and follow it – it is there that the pages will begin to write themselves.