When you examine your past and all the mistakes weaved into it, do you see failures or lessons? How you answer that question determines how you conclude the year 2020. 

Last year was not only an era of loss but it was an era of rebirth. For most of us, we were forced to shed the skin of our old identities and embrace a tidal wave of unknowns in its place. This is a terrifying experience but one that has the potential to awaken our souls and actualize our dreams. 

Before the pandemic, do you think you were cognizant of the world around you, or were you in a daze, going through the motions like a stuffed monkey clapping brass marching cymbals together? As John Lennon once said, “Living is easy with eyes closed,” and nothing worth doing ever comes easy.

Perhaps 2020 was the wake-up call we all needed, to rouse us out of our soul-dampening routines and rediscover ourselves. 

They say sickness must get worse before it convalesces, maybe we were the sickness and 2021 is our road to recovery. Collectively, we needed to have a light shine on our darkness so that we could release old patterns and cultivate our minds.  

To defeat our own limitations we must first become familiar with all the ways in which we limit ourselves. We need to eradicate our negative thoughts and replace them with their opposites. We need to restore our faith in ourselves and the human race. 

Rather than overwhelm your senses with all the things you think you should be doing, focus on just one thing and make it your masterpiece. If you’re still too busy to create a life you desire, make time. Wake up earlier, cut out your fruitless habits, or ask for help. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be greeting every morning as a life you love. 

Take time to value yourself and every gift that surrounds you. Breathe deeply and meaningfully. Worship the earth beneath your feet, the sun, the trees, and the chirping birds. Love loudly and whole-heartedly. Live slowly and purposefully. Absorb every sensation and bask in its beauty.

Most importantly though, allow yourself to be imperfect. That is what this turning point is all about, it’s about letting go of everything we thought we needed to be. 

For everything you feel you lost in 2020, you will gain tenfold. But you need to loosen your grip with all that no longer serves you, otherwise, you won’t have enough space to experience true transformation. 

Let go of toxic relationships, of fear, of ego, of hatred, of limiting beliefs and welcome love, clarity, solitude, connection, and change. We are not meant to live within the margins. We are meant to fall apart so that we can put ourselves back together again. We are meant to soar at skyscraping heights. We are meant to leave the safety of our sanctuary and explore all that exists outside of it. If we don’t, why else are we here? To plug in our eight hours a day of mindless work for the sake of passing time? 

Let 2021 be the catalyst to push you off your perch and into uncharted territory, one brimming with possibility. Let 2021 be the reason you bid farewell to dull regimens and nourish your hungry aspirations. 

Let it be the year you choose love over fear. 

. . .

Photo by Aaron Blanco Tejedor on Unsplash

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