Seven Steps to a Happy New You in the New Year
“Life is a blackboard upon which we consciously or unconsciously write those messages which govern us. We hold the chalk and the eraser in our hand but are ignorant of this fact. What we now experience we need not continue to experience but the hand which holds the eraser must do its neutralizing work.”
~ Ernest Holmes
As 2024 dawns, it’s time to re-evaluate thoughts and beliefs from years past that may no longer enhance a better, more authentic life. The content of our mind determines our experience in life, so let the New Year put you in charge of your future. The past does not need to be prologue.
Using the metaphor of the blackboard, chalk and eraser, Holmes points out that we have absolute control how our mind affects our daily life. I suggest not dragging 2023 into 2024 and use the eraser and chalk to determine what 2024 will look like. Here are seven mindfulness practices that I have established for myself as I enter the New Year. I invite you to try them for yourself.
1. Open your mind to the new possibilities that lie in the unknown. Be willing to try new things. Make an effort to get out of your comfort zone.
2. Forgive. As long as you live in a human skin, forgiveness is the one practice that you’ll need to master because nothing will keep you stuck in the past more effectively than resentment and non-forgiveness.
3. Set realistic goals & write them down. Goal setting is a vital component for creating anything new. Writing out your goals helps to kinesthetically “inscribe them on the blackboard” of your conscious and unconscious mind.
4. Seek a cheerleader who will support you in reaching your goals. Enlist the support of a trusted friend or mentor who is able to support you in seeing and moving toward the vision you hold for the new you in the new year.
5. Observe & challenge old habit patterns that keep you stuck. Self-awareness pays big dividends. The key is to be conscious enough of your habits, that when they don’t serve your wholeness, to challenge them.
6. Practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is the experience of being aware of what is happening around you and in you in the present moment.
7. Set aside time daily to spend in the presence of your Higher Power. When you make room daily to partner with your Higher Power (or whatever name by which you refer to It) doing all the aforementioned practices seem to flow with grace and ease.
The blackboard of 2024 has yet to be inscribed upon and it awaits your mental, emotional, and spiritual imprint. May your exit from 2023 be gentle and complete and may your entry into the new year be smooth and intentional.
Peace, Dennis
Peace, Dennis Merritt Jones, DD • Copyright © 2024 – DMJ Presentations LLC • www.DennisMerrittJones.com
Dennis Merritt Jones’ vision is “Guiding People to Purpose.” He is an award-winning author of six books, a keynote speaker, and personal mentor/coach who loves living in St. Petersburg. If you would like more information regarding his availability as a speaker, his mentoring programs, and his books, please visit his website at DennisMerrittJones.com.