2014 is here!

So, it's a brand new year. 2014 is here and we've reset our mindsets to start afresh (again).

Typically the first weeks of the new year determine the tone of whats to come. So far, I've had less than a stellar start to my year which has included a minor bout of depression due to lack of rest in December and nagging ailments that have plagued me throughout. I've kicked off my year demotivated, without a tan and bronchitis. 

Feeling anything but positive at the moment, I can't help but wonder if I've jinxed the 363 days ahead with my apparent poor start. Then I realise that superstition keeps me from believing things will be ok, better than ok.  It's up to me to start each day in this year, beginning, middle or otherwise, with a positive, renewed sense of hope. My happiness is my responsibility. Tan's can be caught outside of the December holidays, infections can be cured and petty arguments forgotten. 

Looking back on the beginning of 2013 I'm reminded that my expectations of the impending year were greatly outweighed by the abundance that met me throughout. The same abundance that my brain couldn't have fathomed until it happened, that I could be as I was blessed beyond expectation as I was. It never came to me when I expected it, they were all heavenly surprises from above in the form of money, friendships, experiences and fun.  The "how" doesn't matter. Consider the unexpected tax payout from SARS you may have received or that new car you bought. You don't really start the year off knowing how its going to pan out and that's part of the fun. How we think we would get that lump sum pay out, could just happen in 6 different ways including 5 smaller occassions that bless us with a huge financial reward. 

Maybe it wasn't something you physically received, perhaps it was finding out that your blood test results came out negative, results that were not as severe as you had initially feared. Perhaps the door you stood staring at for so long finally closed and the one you weren't looking for opened while you weren't looking. Perhaps while you were "umming and ahhing" about it because it wasn't what you hoped for was a blessing, disguised as a new beginning. 

Whatever you had hoped for (or didn't) in 2013, take stock of those blessings and give thanks because gratitude manifests abundance. The more you give thanks, the more you receive. If you don't believe me, try it.

Personally I love New Years. Like Mondays, a fresh start to the week allows one to take stock and regroup. Yes sure, it's probably a hell of a lot easier to recall the job you lost or the extension on your overdraft you had to take out unexpectedly, but focussing on the positive is good for you.

Studies show that children who are brought up believing in the Tooth fairy, Santa and Easter bunny, have a more positive approach to life, their dreams and goals. Mondays have that affect on me, as do New Years Resolutions <insert renewed goal here>.

Maybe it's the fear that we will let ourselves down if we don't achieve what we plan to, but I prefer to think of my resolutions as mini milestones for the year ahead. Like picking anything you want out of the store with the vouchers you got for Christmas, resolutions feel the same for me. It's freedom of recreating my own destiny. 

Conjure up whatever you like and go for it for the next 363 days. Go big or small, just dream, play and create your perfect life and then do what you can in your power to make it happen. Most of us are so afraid to start that community project, new business venture or the sewing course we've had our eye on. Dreaming up our resolutions doesn't have to be an annual event. We have been given the gift of choice and free will to create whatever our hearts desire, every single day!

So this year I plan to return to dancing for the first time in 10 years, I would like to dedicate time to my diploma in Energy healing and start my SA Writers College course in feature writing (that I was accepted for last year already). 
I strive for better eating habits including taking lunch to work, gym a minimum of twice a week and more travel - specifically Thailand later on in 2015. I'm aiming to achieve great things at my new job, including a performance bonus or recognition of some sort. I'm also going to save more, kill more debt and try, (try being the operative word) stick to my budget. 

The world is your oyster, your playground, your blank canvas. Just play and the rest will fall into place. Until then, can you just imagine how many blessings are waiting to happen for you this year! The "how" doesn't matter, just keep the faith it will.