I mentioned last week that I gave up on New Year’s resolutions. I’m a therapist so I know all about goals, even SMART goals. Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time bound. The problem is that when I try to set one of those goals for myself, particularly for an entire year, I just get all rebellious and irritated. I find myself not wanting to do the goal that I set, no matter how inspired I was when I set it. I find myself rebelling against the idea like “whose idea was this anyway? This goal is dumb!” I don’t know why a New Year’s resolution brings out my inner fifteen year old, but it’s the truth. One I’ve finally come to accept.
So instead I choose a word. A word that defines the hopes and goals and opportunities I hope to create for myself throughout the year. Last year my word was “anyway”. It was a year full of new changes and courageous jumps and although it was unknowns and terrifying I decided to take the challenges on anyway. As I sit and reflect on the last day of 2020 I realize how much I’ve grown and how far I’ve come because I chose to do it anyway.
This year I’ve chosen to focus on the word “create.” I hope and intend to create beauty, growth, hope, joy, opportunities, relationships and love in this year. I took some time off between Christmas and New Year’s and each day I’ve sat down to create something. I’ve taken up an old hobby of counted cross stitch and was able to create an ornament for my grandmother for Christmas. I’ve started building with Legos and I’ve made a couple of sets which are so fun! Today I’ll be creating a character to play some Dungeons and Dragons with my kids! Creating really inspires me and helps me feel like I’m making a contribution to the world.
Cre·ate
/krēˈāt/ verb
- bring (something) into existence.
- cause (something) to happen as a result of one’s actions.
I wonder if you’re thinking that you’re not creative? I know a lot of people think that. I hear people say, “I can’t draw” or “I’m just not creative.” But the thing is creating is so much more than creating a beautiful piece of art or writing a story. It can be creating a clean and organized environment. It can be creating peace by reaching out to a friend who is struggling. It can be creating new and more productive thoughts by choosing what our inner dialogue should be. It can be creating joy by working on and spending time in our relationships.
Create. Not for the money. Not for the fame. Not for the recognition. But for the pure joy of creating something and sharing it.
Ernest Barbaric
I invite you to join me in creating a better world both inside and out this New Year. What will you do to bring more goodness to the world? I will continue to keep working on my business and creating content for social media that will hopefully uplift and inspire someone each day, maybe even me! I will create stronger relationships and memories with my kids. I will create friendships and connections even though social distancing makes that hard. I will recognize and create opportunities for self-growth and mastery. What will you…
