By Jessica Jane Sammut
It’s a new dawn, it’s a new day, as the Nina Simone classic goes. Does this mean we have the chance to start a fresh page? It’s clearly time to kick to the kerb that which does not serve us, and embrace the sh*t that does. Did someone say cleanse? I’m talking about some serious soul exfoliation baby.
Do you have things in your life that make you unhappy? Now is the ideal moment to get rid of them. Got a to-do list of adventures you want to have, or goals you want to get started on? It’s the perfect time to make them happen. Or at least put them on the agenda.
New years are the best for shedding a skin and transitioning to the next version of yourself. If you have kids who are Pokemon-obsessed (like mine), you’ll understand when I say it’s time to mega-evolve. Channel your powers and level-up, mama.
But do we really need to wait for a new year to give ourselves permission to follow our hearts? In fact, do we even need to wait for a new month, or a new week? Actually, we don’t. Every moment is in fact a chance to start again, a chance to listen to our inner needs and our often-buried sense of self. Every minute is an opportunity to start afresh.
So why do we not? Why do we wait, when often there is nothing stopping us (except our own mindset)? Could it be that deep down we feel we don’t deserve the change we are seeking?
I think women, and mums especially, are so programmed to put the needs of everyone else around them first (hello mama’s guilt), that we do not feel comfortable reaching for our own aspirations UNLESS we have a society-endorsed hook to hang it on (hello new year). Having goals and dreams is selfish – it makes you a bad mother, right? I say b*llsh*t to that.
According to Buddhist philosophy, your life is yours, and yours alone. There is no way for anyone to experience the world from your unique perspective. Instead of leaning on others to guide you through life, you must be brave and blaze your own path. As the Dalai Lama says, “You must ask yourself how is it you want to live your life. We live and we die, this is the truth that we can only face alone. So consider carefully, what prevents you from living the way you want to live your life?”
And there it is. This is not a dress rehearsal, there is no ‘take two’ of the day or year you have just had. You are living it, and then that time is gone forever. So, when it comes to looking at changes you want to make to the path you walk each day, don’t wait for a permission slip in the form of a new year, or a nod of approval from those around you. Don’t wait for the fear of following your gut to subside. You’re wasting time! Seize the change you want to make by the balls, and drag it to the starting line. And begin. A fresh page on your own terms, with nothing but your true story ahead.
