The last few weeks leading up to 2016 I think the phrase
that I have said the most to everyone I spoke to was that I can't wait for the New
Year to start. I still don't have the
words but I am excited about this year and the endless possibilities that are
in front of me.
Besides the fact that this is my final year as a social work
student and this means it won't be long now before I step comfortably into a
role that I've been working towards for the past 2 years. There's also the
excitement of launching my first book, Stepping Out Naked: Lessons learnt from
wounds exposed (call me or drop me an email on rlglenkoe@gmail.com if you would
like a copy of the book), a book that took me just over a year to wrap up, it's
about my experiences and lessons learnt from those experiences. These are just
the tip of the iceberg for me because I feel like there is so much in store for
me this year.
I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way, there's
always that sense of excitement that comes with a new year and starting over
and trying again if we had previously failed. Often we think that a clean slate
is all we need to accomplish the many things that are on our list and we make
plans, the date changes but we don't.
We remain the same people, with the same self-destructive
habits and thoughts that we had in the previous year. Then we get shocked that
a new year didn't bring with it all the changes that we hoped for. As much as I
feel like this year is going to be different, I also realize that there are
things that I need to work on and change before I am able to live out my
dreams.
You see if we don't change then a new year doesn't change anything
in our lives. So you need to be asking yourself beyond making a list of all
your goals and jotting down those steps that will enable you to reach them,
what do you need to change about yourself or work on in 2016?
Failure to ask this question and answer it honestly only
means that, you may become your own barrier. The very thing that stops you from
attaining your goals. If you don't question your habits, your thoughts and your
surroundings, you may just end the year in the same place that you started in.
It's important to realize that for life to change you also have to do your part
and the part you need to play involves more than just knowing how you are going
to achieve your dreams, it requires that you also change.
What habits do you have that are counterproductive? Is it an
inability to keep time, spending too much time talking and not doing? What
negative thoughts do you need to discard? Do you want to achieve something in
your life but privately telling yourself that you can't? That you are not good
enough or even worthy? What are you surrounding yourself with? Are you wasting
your life going to a job that you hate? Are you keeping company with people who
inspire you to grow or people who tell you to play it safe?
If the very same things that held you back in 2015 are still
in your life, do you realize how life cannot change for you nor can you produce
different results. As I was writing down all the things that I want to achieve
this year, I asked myself these uncomfortable questions about what I needed to
work on to ensure that I was someone capable of achieving the things that I
wrote down.
And here's my answer. And I am sharing it with you so I can
hold myself accountable throughout the year.
1. I need to learn to be still. Life will throw you curve
balls and your patience will be tested. It's a natural reaction to want to
respond to everything and defend oneself but this year I want to learn to be
still. To breathe before I react to anything and ask myself, is it important or
worth it. I want to learn that everything is not worth a response and sometimes
we have to be willing to lose the battle so we can win the war. The trick this
year is not to get worked up over things that don't matter.
2. I am enough and I am capable. I want this to be my
mantra, my affirmation and a reminder that every day I wake up, I am doing what
I can and that’s okay. I want to walk in this knowledge and never doubt myself.
3. Peace. I want to have peace and live with peace in my
heart. Life reflects back to us the things we may not be willing to acknowledge
and I know now that a chaotic life is just a reflection of what's going on
inside. If I can live with peace in my heart, the people around me and my
surroundings will be a reflection of that.
So what do you need to work on and change to make 2016 your
best year yet? Be honest with yourself and when you have the answer commit to
making those changes so you can achieve the goals that you have set for
yourself. You cannot conquer the world without first conquering yourself. You
have to change so the things and people around you can change.
Wishing you love and life in abundance. May 2016 be the year
that you conquer.
