New Year New You

“Throw your dreams into space like a kite, and you do not know what it will bring back, a new life, a new friend, a new love, or a new country.” – Anais Nin

Starting a New Life

Life is always new, it Is us who make it old and monotonous through unconscious living. When you take a look back at 2012 I can bet that your most memorable moments were the ones where you invited the ‘new’ into your life. Moments where you let life surprise you with it’s infinite variety and texture.

How many of these moments did you have last year? If you don’t have at least one moment in your day that makes you feel grateful to be alive, then it’s safe to say, you didn’t have enough of them.

Everyday you have an opportunity to do, see, feel, think, and experience something new. One of our problems is that we crave certainty, yet at the same time we want a sense of adventure in our life. Life’s very nature is uncertainty, so those who embrace it will be the ones who consequently feel most alive.

It takes courage to live dangerously, to make the leap into the unknown. To let go of the old for sake of the new. Just remember the new is always better than the old, it’s the only real way we grow as individuals.

Learning To Let Go of The Old

Many of us prefer the old and comfortable no matter how uncomfortable it might actually be. Fear essentially is the cause of us holding onto the old. But living a life of fear is not really living, you are half way dead.

Your life can change in an instant the moment you learn to let go, accept life as it is, and respond to each moment with your innate natural intelligence.

One of our problems in this day and age is that we have became a society of spectators. We would rather see other people do the things we want to do. We would rather watch someone else play basketball than for us get a few friends together and get a pick up game going. We would rather watch Rick Steve’s travel the world than for us to plan our own adventure. Not me, the fun is in the doing not in the watching.

Our modern day culture has made living relatively very easy for many of us, we have gotten too comfortable. In my opinion we have become mentally and physically too lazy. I feel that we are becoming second class human beings by having everything given to us.

Mindless Entertainment runs our lives. We need to wake up and take control of our lives. Freedom means learning to be completely responsible for ourselves on every level. Unfortunately, many people associate freedom with less responsibility.

Being an individual means following your own inner light and vision, which for many of us might feel very uncomfortable because it may mean for you to stand out from the crowd. Being a part of the crowd can feel very comforting and safe, but to be part of the crowd is to not discover your own unique set of gifts and expressing them to the best of your ability.

Becoming Open To Life

In order to understand how to be open and let the ‘new’ into your life, you need to understand what is it that keeps you from it. Your mind (ongoing thought process) is your enemy in that it has created an invisible prison. It takes an enormous amount of understanding to be able to have direct insight into the minds true nature. To see the incredibly subtle mental gymnastics it plays in keeping you within its limited mental constructs.

Through memory your mind wants to hold onto what it likes and push away what it doesn’t like. This creates an enormous amount of inner contradictions that causes us much psychological pain.

The problem is most us think we know our minds, I know I did. It’s kind like if everyday I walk down the same street and I see the same stranger walking on the sidewalk, after some time I begin to think I know him. I only know his external appearance. This is how our minds are to most of us. It’s not until we cross over to the other side and introduce ourselves and invite him over for a cup of coffee that we start to get to know him.

Once you move inward, you will be amazed at the world that was hidden from you and obscured simply because you had become identified to an image that distorted your view of reality. Once you understand how your mind creates and becomes identified to its images, your awareness will begin to purify itself to then be able to stop the image making process and learn to just simply ‘be’ and enjoy the moment. Being in the moment free of images is bliss.

In The Moment Life Is Always New

Everyday the ‘new’ is knocking at your door, all you need to do is have a silent mind to let it in. You don’t need to wait for the New Year in order to start living a new life. Each moment is an opportunity to realize the beauty and fullness of the eternal present. Just remember the past and future only exist in your mind. When tomorrow arrives it will show up as the ‘now’, so no need to obsess about it.

Life is such a delicate thing, that it order to appreciate it you will need an attention that is totally aware of the present moment. But first you will need to come to your own realization of seeing the truth that there is no existential truth to thought. It is your belief in your ‘thoughts’ that gives life to them and consequently keeps you trapped in time (the past and future). Thought arising from memory, can only see reality through the filter of the past, thus distorting reality. In the present moment there is no space for thought, you can only be aware of it.

Through meditation, which is the art of learning to watch your mind, if done with earnestness you will come to see how insubstantial thought really is. You will begin to sow the seeds of your freedom from your mind. You will start to purify and free your attention from your body, thoughts, emotions, and moods.

I know everyone is on a different path and what I wrote about about may not resonate with others in a meaningful way. So in the section below I will list more general ways to have a year full of new experiences. But just know that when you make it a priority to be more aware and conscious you will consequently spend more of your time living in the ‘now’. Living in the ‘now’ you will have a deep sense of contentment because you will be tasting the ever new freshness of life at it’s very source.

In the now you are happy because you are ‘being’ yourself. You will discover that what you really are is inseparable from the moment, it’s one and the same thing. In other words you are life itself and you realize this fact by transcending your thought process, you then find yourself in a new dimension that is beyond words and logic.

Things To Do This Year For a New You

• Volunteer your time: Helping others from a place of selflessness is one of the most fulfilling and loving acts you can do. Connecting with people in less fortunate positions can be a huge motivator for both personal and social transformation. There are hundreds of ways you can volunteer your time, here is a post to get you started.
• Lucid Dreaming: This is the act of becoming self aware in the dream state, then being able to manipulate your dreams. Lucid dreaming has been one of my greatest tools in self discovery. Lucid dreaming can also be a great source for creativity, because In the dream world the possibilities are endless.
• Journal: Put your thoughts down on paper. By regularly documenting your habitual thought patterns you may come to discover how rigid your way of thinking actually is. You may then have direct insight into the causes of some of your engrained thought patterns. This clarity could lead to the ending of an internal dialogue that is not beneficial to you.
• Choose to be a leader: Everyone is a leader in some way shape or form. Being a leader is all about taking action. What is your life’s work?…Whats your vision? Don’t be afraid of being the voice for a worthwhile cause. As a leader you will need to continually evolve.
• Start a Blog: This blog has proved to be a great tool in improving my understanding of myself and the world. If you have something to share whats stopping you? Starting a blog is easier than ever, if your not a techie person just head on over to wordpress.org and start a free blog.
• Create a vision board: In college I had a board full of pictures of all the places I wanted to visit one day. It served as a constant motivator to keep working hard so that one day I could go there. One of the most fulfilling experiences was having that weird Déjà vu feeling when I was finally there and realizing I turned those visions into reality. When you meditate you can use your vision board to visualize your dreams. The difference between wishing and visualizing, is that in visualizing in your heart you feel it’s possible. Put your heart’s energy and embed it to the images in your mind when you visualize.
• Clear out the physical clutter: A dirty home and work space negatively influences us in many ways. Having a clean and organized work space will help you think clearly and help you with maintaining a positive mood. For all you pack rat’s out there maybe it’s time to have a yard sale and get rid of anything that you no longer need. I now have very little possessions and it’s a very liberating feeling. It’s amazing to know just how little I really need to live a comfortable life.
• Make healthy meal choices: With out our health we have nothing. Recently I started juicing, I can’t believe I waited this long to get started.
• Create an exercise plan: Life is all about movement. If you are not happy with your physical health it’s your responsibility to take action. Sign up for yoga class, go mountain climbing, or put on your dancing shoes for a night of Salsa. Now a day’s we have so many healthy and fun ways to stay active. Make this the year that you step out your comfort zone and try something new.
• Meditate: Quite simply the greatest tool for transformation.
• Start a new business: We are in incredibly challenging economic times, but with the right attitude where others see limitations you see opportunities. Economic downturns can actually be an ideal time for a creative entrepreneur to start a new business. Discover a need then fill it in the best way you can and you will be rewarded for all your hard work.
• Travel: One of the best ways to gain a new perspective on yourself and the world. Check out my post: Discovering yourself through travel.