What will you choose to take forward? 

Leading up to the New Year has traditionally been a time for reflection. In the past our choices were fairly predictable. We could vow to lose weight. We could decide to join a gym. We could tell ourselves we should work harder, be better people etc. etc.

Once we get back to the routines of our lives those New Year’s resolutions are easily forgotten, replaced with the urgent needs of each day. And, it’s back to normal…for better or worse.

2021 will be unlike any other moment we have experienced in our lifetimes which requires a deeper level of thought.. New Year’s resolutions for 2021 will be different.Thousands upon thousands will continue to die from Covid. Businesses will close. Jobs will be lost. People will go hungry. Millions will face eviction. Fear of getting sick will permeate our lives for the next 6 months at least. We will continue to have to deal with conspiracy theories, anti-vaxxers, anti- maskers, the ignorant, and the selfish. And on and on.

We have a choice to make. Return to the status quo? Or, reassess how we choose to restructure our lives?

What, if anything, will we decide is important enough to carry forward?

Will it be fear? Will it be resentment? Will it be a need for revenge or retribution?

Or, do we stop for a minute and truly examine how we have gotten to this point in history.

Do we learn from our mistakes? Do we forgive those who have wronged us? Do we ask for forgiveness for our bad behavior? Do we actively choose to make our world a better place?

The choice is ours.

Our future is now detached from the status quo. This implies that the future is a blank slate…that we have the extraordinary opportunity to shape our world and our lives in unimaginable ways. With this opprotunity comes responsibility. What we do next is ours to make.

We will serve others by creating a world in which the possibility for a productive, rewarding life is available for everyone? Or, will we perpetuate the failed ideology that demands winners and losers in every walk of life?

The choice is ours.

My suggestion?

Go to your quiet, safe place and be still. Turn off all your devices, close your eyes and simply sit absolutely still for as long as it takes for your mind to slow down. The goal is to be present in the moment without thought.

Then ask yourself: What is important to you?

There is no right or wrong answer. But, until you can listen to your heart without distraction from external stimulus you will only scratch the surface and be fooled by your ego.

This year’s New Year’s resolutions are different.

You have the opportunity to help contribute to the change you’d like to see. You have a role to play and a reward to enjoy.

So, what will it be?

The choice is yours.