The new year brings with it fresh energy and anticipation for something better. This is a good time to make a new commitment to yourself toward your evolutionary progress, to set your intentions rather than create resolutions and goals. Although, setting goals can give you a target to aim for, if you miss that goal or get sidetracked by life events that are out of your control, you end up feeling like a failure. What’s the point of that? Why set yourself up? Instead, create an intention and then let life unfold for you. No matter what happens, you’ll be further along your path than when you started.

This year I intend to further develop this website. It’s been sitting out here in no-man’s web-land neglected far too long, neglected like an unloved child. Why? That’s the question I asked myself repeatedly. The answer, reluctance. It was a general reluctance to take on anything else, to make a solid commitment to the creative process while I was trying to weather a nasty storm of a Saturn Return. Finally, Saturn has moved on to its home base in Capricorn, a much happier placement, freeing me on an energetic level to gather up my baby and give it some love and attention it sorely needs.

This year, I also intend to better my writing skills and hone my teaching skills. I have kept a journal almost daily for 27 years. Journaling has been my therapy for getting out of my head (before I lose my mind!) and see exactly what’s rambling around in there. Journaling has kept me emotionally stable and mentally clear but I certainly wouldn’t want to publish any of the garbage that’s been flushed out on the page. Now it’s time to fine-tune those skills and get moving in the direction I want to go in with those skills, namely to write a book.

I’ve been wanting to write a book since God was a child so yes, that’s forever. And why haven’t I done so? Good question. I haven’t written a book because I didn’t think I was good enough, smart enough, talented enough or brave enough. Recently, however, I’ve been exploring Mindvalley and some of their videos on YouTube. I came across their A-fest videos (which, by the way, are really awesome) when I tuned into a hypnotherapist named Marisa Peer. She did about an hour-long talk on what she believes is at the heart of human suffering (I’m paraphrasing here) and it came down to the idea that we don’t think we’re enough. Oh, my. That really got me thinking. She told several stories about the transformation that happened to her clients who repeated daily, “I am Enough”. It was astounding, to say the least. I gave it a shot as I figured, what could go wrong? I wrote down, “I am enough” three times on an index card in a black sharpie. I repeated it daily, all the time, morning, noon, night and a few times in between for two weeks. Frankly, I’m impressed with how I feel. Generally, I feel more positive, happier and creative. My thinking has changed and now the possibility of writing a book is now more probable than not.

I will be talking about Mindvalley, Marisa Peer and other subjects in future blogs, but for now, it is enough to consider all the possibilities that a new year can bring each one of us. There are many tools to use, things to learn and new teachers to discover to create a year of healing, personal growth, and progress. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain by making a commitment to ourselves to be better people. The world needs better people; it needs good people, stable people, creative people, compassionate people and people who get shit done. Make a commitment to be one of those people. I am. The alternative is far worse and frankly, we all know we’ve got plenty of folks who remain unconscious, unaware and in despair. Set your intentions, aim high and go after the big dream. You’ll be amazed!

Happy New Year!