WHAT AWAITS YOU IN YOUR NEW YEAR? ~ STAY JUICY!
IN 2015, ARE YOU PLANNING TO MAKE ANY CHANGES? HAVE YOU THOUGHT ABOUT THIS YET? I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT MAKING RESOLUTIONS ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT OR ANY OF THE USUAL PROMISES WE MAKE OURSELVES WITH SERIOUS INTENTION BUT LET SLIDE AS THE YEAR PROGRESSES. ALTHOUGH THERE MAY BE EXTERNAL AREAS YOU WISH TO CHANGE, LIKE YOUR WEIGHT, THE IMPORTANT THINGS ARE WHAT SHOULD ACTUALLY GET YOUR ATTENTION. WHAT DO YOU REALLY WANT IN YOUR LIFE? HOW IS THAT DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE?
HOW ABOUT EMBRACING 2015 AS THE YEAR TO EXPLORE BEING WHO YOU ACTUALLY ARE, RATHER THAN WHO YOU THINK OTHERS WANT YOU TO BE. IF YOU CHOOSE TO BE GRATEFUL FOR WHAT YOU DO HAVE AND FOR HOW WELL YOUR LIFE IS WORKING RIGHT NOW, JOY, PEACE AND PROSPERITY WILL BE WHAT YOU REALIZE YOU ALREADY HAVE AND YOU WILL BUILD ON THIS BASELINE CONTENTMENT.
THERE WILL ALWAYS BE PEOPLE WHO HAVE MORE THAN YOU MATERIALLY. WE HAVE BEEN LED TO BELIEVE THAT A NEW IPHONE OR CAR WILL FILL THAT GAP BETWEEN FEELING WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH AND KNOWING THAT ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF OURSELVES CAN ONLY MAKE US HAPPY FOR A MOMENT. HAPPINESS AND CONTENTMENT IS AN INSIDE JOB. WHEN WE ARE AWARE OF THE FACT THAT ONLY WE HAVE CONTROL OF OUR EMOTIONS AND ATTITUDES CAN WE BE FREE OF THAT NEVER ENDING RUSH FOR THE NEWEST AND GREATEST, ONLY TO FIND WE ARE STILL UNHAPPY AND UNFULFILLED.
YOU HAVE EVERYTHING YOU NEED INSIDE OF YOU. NO ONE TELLS YOU THIS GROWING UP BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE FEELS INADEQUATE TOO. AS ALBERT EINSTEIN SAID, “EVERYBODY IS A GENIUS. BUT IF YOU ONLY JUDGE A FISH BY ITS ABILITY TO CLIMB A TREE, IT WILL LIVE ITS WHOLE LIFE BELIEVING THAT IT IS STUPID.”
IF YOU ARE JUDGING YOURSELF BY AN EXPECTATION THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOUR TRUE ABILITIES AND TALENTS, YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO DISCOVER WHERE YOUR PARTICULAR GENIUS LIES. THE WORLD NEEDS EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US. WE ALL BRING DIFFERENT TALENTS AND ABILITIES WHEN WE ENTER THE WORLD. THE TASK IS NOT TO COMPARE OURSELVES WITH OTHERS, BUT TO FIND OUT WHO WE UNIQUELY ARE. SO WHAT ARE YOU PASSIONATE ABOUT?
YOU ARE WORTHY OF LOVE, HONESTY AND RESPECT. YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE THIS FIRST BEFORE IT CAN MANIFEST IN YOUR LIFE. YOU ATTRACT TO YOU THAT WHICH YOU THINK ABOUT ALL DAY. IF YOU FEEL DEFEATED AND LOST, NO ONE CAN MAKE YOU FEEL SUCCESSFUL AND WHOLE. YET SOMETHING MAGICAL HAPPENS WHEN WE EMBRACE OURSELVES EXACTLY AS WE ARE AND KNOW WITH CERTAINTY THAT LIFE IS HERE FOR US TO LIVE AND ENJOY. WITH SELF-ACCEPTANCE COMES THE GRACE TO RELAX AND APPRECIATE WHO WE ARE, TO BE AT PEACE WITHIN OURSELVES AND TO KNOW OUR FUTURE HAPPINESS IS IN OUR OWN HANDS.
EVERYONE IS BEAUTIFUL AS WE ARE EACH A UNIQUE EXPRESSIONS OF THE GOD FORCE FROM WHICH WE ORIGINATE. IF YOU COULD SEE YOURSELF AS THE DIVINE BEING YOU ARE, YOU WOULD HAVE NO MORE DOUBTS OR FEARS. EMBRACE YOUR UNIQUENESS AND FIND OUT WHAT YOU ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT AS THEREIN LIES YOUR GENIUS. WHETHER THIS TAKES THE FORM OF HELPING PEOPLE, ART, BUILDING THINGS, BEING ORGANIZED OR ANY NUMBER OF OTHER POSSIBILITIES, FINDING WHAT YOU FEEL GOOD ABOUT IS THE PATH TO FEELING GOOD ABOUT YOURSELF.
SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO CHOOSE DIFFERENTLY IN THIS NEXT YEAR? WILL YOU LIVE EVERY DAY WITH THE WONDER AND GRATITUDE FOR HAVING ANOTHER DAY TO LEARN AND LOVE? THE CHOICE IS YOURS ALONE.
CHOOSING TO EMBRACE CHANGE, LOVE, SERVICE AND THE GIFT OF LIFE ARE WHAT KEEP YOU YOUNG AND VITAL. ~ STAY JUICY!
Lorraine E. Castro, LMFT 