5 Weeks to a New Beginning

During the last blog post, I shared that the new year signals a time of new beginnings and self-reflection. As we are still in January, we still have time to create our new beginning this year. In the previous post, I encouraged everyone to take some time for self-reflection and develop goals for the year.
Now that those goals have been developed, let's continue to the next phase of this journey. In this new blog post, we are going to focus on creating a new life. This is not to say that it is anything wrong with your current life but we all have things we want to improve and this is the time to create something new, that is more in line with the goals you have set and how you want your life to look this year. In this post, I am going to offer three steps you can take towards this new life.
Develop habits that support the life you truly want to live. This includes creating a morning and evening routine that encompasses setting the tone for how you want to begin and end each day. Your morning and evening routines are a way for you to set the intention for how you want your days to go. Each routine should have non-negotiables that you will stick with each day. For example, in my morning routing, my non-negotiables are praying, exercising, and meditating. I do these activities each morning no matter how early or late I wake up. These are the activities I do not negotiate about doing in my day as they are the activities that help me to set a positive tone in my day. In my evening routine, my non-negotiables are cleansing my face, prayer, and writing in my journal. These are activities that help me to wind down at the end of the day and signal self-care for me. Take some time to think about what habits you want to develop in your morning and evening routines. Make them non-negotiable and begin implementing them.
Think about the "who" you want to bring into this new year and new life you are creating. Some things to consider are do you need to develop a new skill or new mindset to bring the "who" that is needed for you to have the life you truly desire. You all know I like writing and believe journaling is a great tool for processing and organizing your thoughts. Take some time to journal about what comes to your mind when you hear or think about "new beginning." Your response may shape and inform those skills or thought patterns you want to develop this year that will help you in creating your new beginning this month and year.
The final step is to clear out the clutter and/or old things that may be holding you back. This encompasses making your physical space look the way you need it to support the lifestyle you are creating, giving yourself a makeover, if you feel it is needed, making sure you are giving attention to your physical health and taking care of your body, and engaging in activities to keep your mind sharp and active. This includes getting physical exercise, limiting time watching television and/or scrolling social media, doing puzzles to give your brain exercise, and seeing a licensed therapist as appropriate. Reframing negative thinking and using affirmations to help with this are also ways to help clear out old patterns that are no longer serving you. This list is not exhaustive but includes a few ideas to get you started. Over the next week, take some time to journal about how you feel at this point in the journey.
I believe this is the year for us all to see our dreams and goals come true. Setting healthy habits and consistently engaging in those habits are steps we can take towards that. Sending encouragement and inspiration to you as you continue on this journey to a new beginning.
Wishing You a Prosperous New Year,
Dr. Daphne
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