For many of us, the wish of real action towards a New Year's resolution as the clock turned from 2022 to 2023 has already faded. The clutter and chaos of day-to-day has already pushed that promising thought into the background. But is all hope really lost? Perhaps not. Researchers surveyed 19,000 persons on how much they changed in the past ten years compared to how much they believe they will change in the next ten years. Whether 30, 40 or 50 years old, persons were consistent in believing personality, core values or preferences were now fixed, even after noticing a change in these domains in the past 10 years. Apparently, we underestimate our capacity for future change.
The research did reveal change is a constant, regardless of age. Just as winter will turn to spring, so shall our capacity for change offer the opportunity to remake ourselves anew.
So, given that change is inevitable, how can we join this process? One option is to go blindly forward, like a rudderless ship, allowing the external current to determine our path. The alternative is to become an active participant in this process. The first step to participation is awareness. Just like planning a journey to San Francisco, the first step is to know if am I starting in Chicago or Buenos Aires. Mindful awareness invites me to understand, with self-compassion, the answer to “who am I today?” Mindfulness invites a deepened awareness of how my thoughts and emotions drive behaviors - like those behaviors we set out to change when the clock struck midnight last month! Mindfulness also creates a gap between impulse and action, and a gap allows the freedom to practice new healthier options. Finally, mindfulness places me in the only time frame where change occurs - NOW!
So, as the clock turns from January to February, let's hit reset on that month-old intention to change, and revisit empowered by mindfulness.
Happy New Year, again!
You Can't See It, But You'll Be A Different Person In 10 Years
Tags:
awareness, change
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