Try nature's New Year

2020 has begun. How is it so far? New year, new start, new vibe? Feeling motivated and fresh? Nope? Don’t worry, few people are. Whilst 2020 might be set to be an incredible year of change, you’re unlikely to feel motivated into action - yet.

Our way of living, the habits and dynamics that we cultivated last year, are deeply-rooted. Creating new will mean cultivating new - the notion that willpower and resolutions will get you the year you want is putting the cart before the horse. Commitment is key, but resolutions don’t come first.

January is long, slow, and dark. It’s a deep winter month. Across the northern half of the planet, animals are sleeping and trees bear no fruits. We are living off last year’s harvest. We are supposed to be.

At the end of December, I reviewed 2019 as part of the 2020 vision workshop. With the vantage point of perspective, I noticed how the beginning of that year had been a continuation of the previous year. Life in the early part of 2019 had been a more intense version of many of the experiences I’d had in the previous year. This is because January is a continuation of winter the has already started. The new year doesn’t begin with the calendar ticking over to the next year or decade - it is a process of transition, a process that begins in winter.

Winter is about going inwards, drawing down. It’s about revelling in the space and nothingness. It’s about reflection and expression. It’s about dreaming and envisioning. It’s about planting seeds and outlining plans. This is the foundational stage of growth.

It’s also about rest. Rest is a form of magic. It is the state in which change can happen without us having to try.

Rest can not be underestimated. Good sleep is one of the most reliable indicators of health. Good health allows us to do so much in the world.

Winter is nature’s time to rest. So the good news is that feeling like staying in bed and moving slowly is very much the natural way. When we are busy and active, we don’t have space to dream. When our lives are full we don’t have the capacity for more. Does that mean we do nothing? Well, when we are resting, yes!

However, there are many winter actions that you can take that will powerfully help create the life you want in 2020.

Use this time wisely. Reflect on how life looks currently. Step back and see what you don’t spot when you are busy. Refine the elements of your life. What do you no longer need but perhaps hold on to from habit? What could you lose from your life that no longer serves you? What do you wish to retain? What are you deeply grateful for that does serve you? How can you maintain this? Nourish and strengthen it?

Invite in what you want. What do you long for in your life? What does your heart desire 'one day'? Dream it up; imagine in it your life. Let the dream settle. What action is aligned with the dream and the season? What small initial steps would set you off in that direction? Don’t jump way down the path - start where you are in the stage you are at.

Summer and autumn are when the fruit ripens. If the full expression of your dream is ripe fruit waiting to be harvested, then what is winter about in the life cycle of your dream? What do these early days want and need to be about?

There's a free meditation on my website to help you deepen into this process. I'm also offering free consultations throughout January to help you get the most out of this key time and lay foundations for the year you want.