The best thing about getting two new years? All the resolutions. I don’t see those as something to make and fail at, on the contrary. It is little promises that we make to ourselves, and if we keep even one of them, we are better for it.
As the time of publication, we will be near the beginning of the beginning–it is the start of the new Jewish year, year 5779. The holiday that kicks off this time of year, Rosh HaShanah (literally meaning the head of the year, kind of the Jewish New Year’s Day) gets us all thinking about how the last year went–and what we can do to make this next year better.
For me, I like to make 18 resolutions for Rosh HaShanah (18, also known as chai, is the Jewish number for life). I feel this generates good, positive energy and a nice vibe going forward.
For me, this is my hopes, goals, and purposes for Year 5779:
1.) Reach out. I want to reconnect with those I have neglected (or maybe even downright ignored) in my hustle. I want to send a Facebook message. Grab a cup of coffee. Just hang with those that in the past have meant the world to me (and let them know they still do).
2.) Meditate. I need to take more time to realign inside, be a little more intune with my intuition.
3.) Connect. I have a tendency to build all sorts of walls around me; even though I include windows on this walls, they still have some pretty dark shades. I need to open up and let some light in (and out).
4.) Stay the course. I think this last year has afforded me some pretty great insight into my direction. My goal for this year is to keep on that course and get a little farther ahead not only for myself and those who trust me, but also for those that I love.
5.) Seek accuracy. I think (know) that sometimes (most always) I am selective with my truths; I admittedly select those that provide me with what I want to hear (if I select any other truth outside of my take at all).
6.) Unplug. I went on a three day retreat (really a Friday Night/Saturday/Sunday Morning, so not even three days). I did not have cell phone reception. I was about to drive into town JUST to check my email. That’s a sickness I need to get under control. Speaking of control…
7.) Lose control. I am a control freak. For being so Type B, I still like to calculate risks and avoid them if I don’t think their is a 90% chance of them ending positively. I want to be less risk-averse and take more leaps of faith.
8.) See more. I look around a lot, but I don’t know how often I legitimately see things before me.
9.) Shine. My natural disposition is realistic, which tends to come across as a little gloomy (especially if one thing leads to another and another and…well, you get it). It’s not that I am a perfectionist (even though I am), I just know that we are more efficient when everything flows with fewer hiccups. I would love to do a little bit better with patience and be better at being happy with letting things be (but as a control freak, that’s a struggle, for sure). I want to try to radiate positivity a little bit more than previously.
10.) Move. I get a little too sedentary sometimes…I need to move it, move it more than before.
11.) Minimize. I love stuff. I want to love stuff less and have less stuff.
12.) Refill + refuel. One of my best friend’s from college gave me the most amazing birthday gift for my 24th birthday: A framed and handmade piece of inspirational art featuring the famous Edna St. Vincent Millay “My candle burns at both ends; it will not last the night; but ah, my foes, and oh, my friends – it gives a lovely light!” Little did I know how true these words would be for my adult life. I need to take more time to refill my cup and refuel my soul so I am not running on empty, running the risk of being extinguished.
13.) Play more. All work and no play makes Kayla a dull girl. We need to change that.
14.) Get uncomfortable. I really, really like my comfort zone; it’s like yoga pants of social interactions and life. I need to put on metaphorical jeans every once in a while and grow.
15.) Trust. I am a one-woman band, and I am afraid to trust anyone with anything. I have this belief that only I can do all I do. I need to bring others into my circle and help them by letting them help me.
16.) Love patiently. I have stretched myself so thin that it makes it hard for me to actually show love to those who matter most to me. I look at our interactions in terms of efficiency rather than what they are. I have to work to change that ASAP.
17.) Believe. Sometimes I see my plateaus on the climb upward as downhill tumbles rather than a flat space to rest and assess. I have to start believing in myself, my needs, and my journey.
18.) Keep eyes down, heart up. I play the comparison game far too often. I spend so much looking around that I don’t look at what’s inside me and what my mission, my purpose is.
So that’s the plan. To those observing, I wish you a L’Shana Tovah Umetuka–a sweet new year! To those not observing, well may you find whatever you are looking, and I wish you a nice, long, colorful, and happy fall!
