Another new year…a time to say goodbye to 2023 and welcome the all new 2024. The usual suggestion for the new year is a resolution. Resolution, “a firm decision to do or not to do something, being determined or resolute.” I’m not a big fan of resolutions, primarily because I don’t keep them. Sometimes I make them anyway. This year I resolved to eat a more plant-based diet and move closer to being vegan. I mention this because I just ate cheese pizza for lunch…so there’s that. Resolutions feel forced and kind of artificial to me. I have done resolutions before because I felt pressured to. And no, pressure does not help me stay resolved. Sometimes resolutions feel like they’re more for show because we’re expected to have a grand plan for the new year and the changes we want to make to our lives.

I am not good with resolutions. I am very good with intentions. An intention is an “aim or a plan.” I have a plan for 2024. I have big plans this year. I intend to fulfill all my plans. I have a purpose in my plans…I have a purpose. Each year we decide who we will be, who we will become, how we will live and move and interact in this world. Each year, each moment, we choose to grow into more or retreat into less. That’s the choice that I face. That’s the choice we all face…be more or be less.

It seems like that’s a simple enough choice, right? Who would choose to be less? Not me. I want to grow into more. I want to grow but I understand the inclination to retreat into safety…the safety of what already is, the safety of not rocking the boat. Leave things the way they are, maybe they aren’t great but they’re comfortable. We like to be comfortable. We think that even though our lives may not be all we want them to be, it’s what we’re used to and it’s what we know. Overcoming our desire for comfort and sameness can be a huge obstacle to growth.

I understand the desire to feel safe and protected. I frequently build my home in the land of safety and protection. The crazy thing is that sense of safety is an illusion. No one can be safe or protected all of the time. The unplanned happens. The undesired comes walking into our living room or crashing through our front door. Our sense of safety gets crushed. All kinds of shit happens that we have no control over. The reality is that we have very little control over anything…and even less control over anyone. That can be overwhelming. Life can be overwhelming. It’s tempting to think that if I retreat and pull myself back into my own little cocoon, I can return to what’s comfortable. Maybe I won’t grow but I won’t be destroyed either. We can adopt a kind of a “don’t mess with anything” attitude. Things may not be great, but they could definitely be worse, so I’ll hang on to what I know. I’ll retreat to stay the same. The thing is we can’t stay the same, nothing can. We either move forward or backwards but we are always moving. So, pick your direction.

I have dreams and I have plans. I’ve had them for several years now. So why haven’t they happened yet? What’s holding me back? Me of course. I hold back and stay in my comfort zone, so I don’t disappoint anyone, including myself, and so I don’t fail. It’s not failing if you never really tried, right? I don’t have to justify or explain myself to anyone if I just stay the course and don’t take any risks. Nothing makes me feel less protected than venturing out into uncharted territory…no matter how much I want to.

I can choose to stay in my comfort zone and be safe or I can choose to become more. How can I ever really know all I’m capable of if I never give it my all? I have a ready-made excuse for not fulfilling my potential…I never really tried. Who wants to live a life of always wondering what could have been? Maybe I could have…whatever “it” is. Could I have published my book? Could I have built a presence on social media and used it to reach tons of people? Could I have helped those people move through the difficulties in their lives? Could I have helped people believe in themselves and become the best version of themselves? Could I have facilitated growth and encouraged people to use that growth to make changes in the world? There’s so much to change in the world and I want to be a part of that change. I believe I can, and I believe I can inspire others to do the same.

I have an intention for 2024. Believe. Believe in my growth, believe in my plans, and believe in what I am called to do. Believe in me. It’s not enough for me to just grow I need to believe in myself. Believe in my potential and grow in the direction I want to move. 

Now let’s be real…I need a plan. I’m not going to get to where I want to be without figuring out where I want to be. What do I want? That’s the question for me to answer…for myself. My starting point is pinpointing my “what.” So that’s the first step. And then? Develop my belief in myself. Strengthen my believing muscles. I need to focus on success not failure. My successes…and there are plenty of them. I am successful. As I grow my belief muscle, I can use it to believe big…go big or go home, right? I have big plans and big dreams and there’s no reason to hinder myself. I am capable of so much.

When I was a child protection caseworker, I had a boss who told me that my only fault was that I didn’t know how good I was. That was almost 30 years ago, and I still remember it so clearly, because it touched me so deeply. She was so much more than a boss to me. She was my mentor, and, in some ways, she was a mom to me…she did some re-mothering with me that changed my life and my path. She believed in me, and her belief never wavered. I came to see my own potential through her eyes, and I started to believe in myself for maybe the first time. So, this year, I am going to remind myself that I am better than I think I am. I have more potential than I think I do. Believing in myself is my choice.

My intention this year is BELIEVE. I will believe in myself. I will step out of my comfort zone to grow. I will choose growth over retreat. I will choose to believe. I won’t sabotage myself. I will invest fully and believe in my success. I am going to believe in me. And I am going to believe in love, giving it and receiving it. Because love always wins. Welcome to 2024!