Still in My Pajamas on January 2nd!

The new year brings all kinds of thoughts and ideas about what I "should" be doing with my life and the changes I need to make. In many ways, these thoughts seem to criple me. " Where do I start?" "Am I the only one who lives this way?" "Everyone else seems to have it together - seemingly confident in the direction of their desired dreams and goals for fulfilling them." These thoughts bring me to the conclusion that's it's simply too overwhelming for me. And so I sit in my pajamas, thankful it's Saturday and not Monday.

Have you noticed all the advertisements for gym and diet memberships over the past two weeks? Statistics show gyms are the busiest during January and February. Weight Watchers and other such diet programs increase in membership as well. All tied to the idea that a new year brings new resolve and action for change, they take advantage (understandably so) of the mindset of resolution and change. However, the statistics regarding success of our resolutions prove otherwise. By end of February, the gyms are no longer crowded and most have gone back to their original habits. Paying the price of the membership for something they aren't doing or using continues. Next year's resolutions will include the desire to not spend or waste money on something they aren't going to do.

I've done all of this myself. Year after year. With little to no change no matter how solid my resolve.

This year, I'm not making resolutions. I'm just stating a desire to live a more conscious and authentic life. That doesn't mean I don't want things to change. It doesn't mean I don't want to be a better person. It simply means I'm not going to fool or pressure myself into believing that a "simple" resolution is going to get me out of my pajamas and to the gym on a chilly Saturday morning. I'd actually prefer to sit in the comfort of my cozy apartment, drinking a warm cup of coffee and writing a blog about doing nothing.

What if the entire system of goal setting, putting pressure on ourselves with the shoulds and should nots, only takes some of us in the wrong direction? What if the lack of success we experience in un-accomplished resolutions only makes things worse, resulting in us feeling like failures instead of the lovely, creative, divine creatures we are? What if we simply give ourselves a break and desire just to do a little better than the last passing day? What if we simply add pleasures to our day (something fun or creative like a walk in nature) instead of the dread of a new resolution? Why not? What if?

Many will tell me one must have written goals and resolutions to prosper and succeed. "Without goals you have no direction." "You must and should do this or that."....And to them I say, "Knock yourself out." I will continue to support any and every person in fulfilling their desired dreams and goals. And I will certainly encourage those dreams and goals through authentic and conscious creative outlets that result in the desires of the heart. That's part of who I am. Who knows? Perhaps living more consioiusly will result in reaching the desires of my own heart - my "goals" - without experiencing the pressures of self-imposed resolutions.

Today I am content and happy to sit in my pajamas and write this - my very first published blog.

Happy Saturday.