New Year, Not So New You
Accepting yourself as you are now can help you grow into the person you hope to be
We are all familiar with the optimism that often comes with a new year. Personally, I don’t set resolutions, but I do engage in reflections which include creating a vision of improvements and changes I would like to make in the upcoming year. But, that process begins with an honest assessment and acceptance of who I am, who I’ve been, and where I am at right now.
Acceptance is not Resignation
It’s important to note that there is a difference between acceptance and resignation or giving up. Acceptance asks you to be honest with yourself and to acknowledge the reality of a situation. In some cases, acceptance means acknowledging a situation exists in the first place. Why is this important?
Goals Grow from Acceptance
Think of it like taking your car to a mechanic. Now, of course, you are a dynamic human being who is more than the sum of your parts and experiences, not a machine, but just go with me for a moment here.
You know something needs to change with your car because it pulls to the right when you go above 60 mph, it’s making a funny noise, and the check engine light is on. Your goal is to get your car moving smoothly, to get it running quietly, and to get that damn light to turn off. But, if you don’t accept your car as it is right now, those issues may never get addressed, and you’ll still be ignoring that check engine light as you drive askew down the highway, singing at the top of your lungs to drown out that strange sound.
New Year, Better You
As you head into the new year and you are setting your goals for creativity, try aiming to be better than you are now rather than a new you. The experiences, thoughts, emotions, and all of the amazing, annoying, wonderful, and sometimes self-sabotaging traits that got you here are all valuable. New Year, New You implies there is something wrong with you now, and you need a clean canvas. I propose New Year, Better You by accepting where you are at now; build on what is already on the canvas to create an updated version of yourself that has more depth, color, and texture that uses all the “old” and “unwanted” stuff to create a more vibrate, amazing, dynamic human being.
I am planning to do that very thing for The Care and Feeding of Creativity. This little newsletter is just getting her wings, and I hope over the next twelve months, the words, encouragement, resources, and community I hope she will bring to you, dear readers will help us all soar.
Cheers and best wishes for a healthy, peaceful, thriving New Year!
Machelle with An A.
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