© Copyright 2021 Artwork by Cordi Neckermann
Time for new year's resolutions! I’ve been meaning to come up with some sensible goals for weeks now but I find it quite hard to come up with something specific. Even after lot’s of daydreaming about what I would like the future to look like it feels like there is always an elephant in the room who is hard to ignore. I feel like this year it will take more than just courage to follow a dream or a set goal. The level of what is unknown and unpredictable has increased so much that just courage is not enough to find a way forward. This year we need to be armed with more than just courage. After going through a year like 2020 fear is like an old friend by my side just hanging out. Looking ahead everything seems so shaken up and the biggest challenge to me this year is dealing with this unpredictability.
There are some superpowers that we all will have to activate to keep on rocking this pandemic show. That's for sure. I think this year it might just be a good idea to stand still, wait and see what’s coming our way instead of pushing forward on our path.
#1 Preserve My Energy
The first intention that popped into my mind when thinking about how to best face 2021 was preserving my energy. Always having a little extra in my energy account just in case the pandemic storm throws an extra big log in my way. I feel like this has been draining me the most having to deal with the extra unexpected obstacles the pandemic caused.
Our energy is our most precious asset. If we don’t have enough energy to cope with our daily lives things go south very quickly. We get physically and mentally exhausted and fall prey to disease and depression. It’s really easy to get depleted of energy just following our regular lifestyle. Being overloaded with information, decision making and to-do lists is the status quo. On top of that, the easiest and fastest food is not always the healthiest. Not to mention the lack of physical exercise. We don’t have many physical challenges built into our daily lives. The decision to work out has to consciously be made. But without feeling like we have the energy exercise it is easy to lean towards the couch potato workout. You know what I mean ;-)
There has to be a healthy balance between resting and being physically and mentally active. Yes, here and there we need to activate our superpowers and pull through hard stretches but that should not be the norm. I feel like 2020 was one long, hard neverending stretch. With all the constant changes and new challenges, I was constantly in superpower mode without switching off and getting enough rest. Even superheroes need to rest. Am I right? I’m very sure the Avengers headquarters has a cool break room.
So my first new years resolution for 2021 is: Instead of aiming for a balance in my energy account I will make an effort to always have a little energy stored on the plus side of my account. Instead of pushing my energy to the limit and further I want to teach myself to not always jump off the cliff and be more aware of where and how I spend my energy. I’m very sure this is going to be an interesting experiment. I can imagine this will mean to leave extra time to complete assignments, asking for help, and saying "no" more often. All these things don’t necessarily come easy to me but I am up for the challenge. It will be fun to explore what things fills me with energy as opposed to what drains me.
#2 Have More Faith
“Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.”
- John Lennon
This is one quote I have pulled out more than usual this year to keep me motivated. It has been hard for me to stay positive. It takes work to find the silver lining in this ever-changing chaos 2020 has presented us with. It is much easier for me to let the mind drift into worst-case scenarios of every shape and form. I guess this is the human mind's protection mechanism to be prepared. It is impossible to be fully prepared when there is no way of knowing what fresh hell is hiding behind the next corner. I feel like I need a proper armor for 2021. Something that will keep me on track no matter what happens. Having more faith that everything will be ok in the end will do that for me. Holding on to the belief that there will be solutions and support available to all of us making 2021 better and being open to whatever this may look like will be my armor against all the unpredictability.
I am very intentionally leaving out the word hope here. For me, hope leaves too much room for doubt. My armor will have to be stronger than that. I have to believe more than 100% that it will all work out in the end. There can be no room for doubt at all. The words belief and faith have a much stronger and impenetrable feel to me. Wayne Dyer said, “You'll see it when you believe it.” My seconds new years resolution is to always remind myself to believe and have faith that it will get better and easier for all of us no matter how hopeless things might seem.
#3 Have More Fun
I don’t know about you but I can get swept up in the world's drama super quickly. If I would watch the news every day I don’t think I would smile ever. So my new year's resolution number three is simply to have more fun. I want to make having fun part of my daily routine even if it just means looking at cute animal pictures on my Pinterest feed to make me smile. Laughter is the best medicine so I’m writing myself the prescriptions for a good dose of fun every day. Of course, no one can be happy all day every day but we can actively make an effort to cheer ourselves up once a day by doing something that brings us pure joy and plants a big smile on our face. I feel like half the fun will be exploring what exactly it is that can put a smile on my face and what I only think brings me joy but really just stress me out.
So bring on 2021. I’m ready!
I hope you found some new years resolutions as well that will make you feel positive and strong.
Together we can stay motivated to bring out the best in all of us in 2021!
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Looking forward to meeting you!
Cordi