Getting to the end of the year and beginning a new one doesn’t just happen out there in the world, it happens on the inside as well. We live endings and new beginnings in mind, body, and soul all the time. But the end of the year is the perfect time to recap what’s been and scope out where we’re heading. In order to get to what’s next in our lives it’s important to take inventory. The first step is acknowledging all we do, because let’s face it, we don’t give ourselves nearly enough credit. What’s actually getting done in our day-to-day rounds is the foundation for everything else that’s coming in or exiting our lives. It’s also a clear starting point for transitioning from where we are now to where we want to go. That’s what last week’s post was all about. But what’s just as important is recognizing what’s changed for us, all that’s different in our lives, and new paths we are taking.

If there is anything we can know for sure it’s that everything changes. Our bodies and the world we live in are built on an ever-shifting foundation of change. To get to the truth of who we are and where we are going we have to be honest about what’s no longer meaningful for us, re-evaluate what’s in our lives, and then decide what goes and what stays. The only way we get to what’s on the horizon is by letting go of what no longer works for us. This may sound easy but the farther down we dig the more uncomfortable it can get. We may find that a lot of things we used to be, do, or think may not be our truth anymore but are still there jamming up the works and hindering our forward progress. These are the remnants of our old selves that for one reason or another haven’t been reckoned with and still operate underneath our everyday awareness and can sometimes stifle us or steer us in the wrong direction.

Let me give you a kind of wacky example. I have a hard time getting rid of clothing. I’ve got things stacked up on shelves, stuffed in drawers, and lurking in the back of the closet. Not only do I never wear any of it, and probably will never wear any of it ever again, but the truth is I don’t even remember I still have any of it. Yet they remain, crumpled up collecting dust. When I finally do begin to pull them out to donate or dump the first thing I notice is how I feel. Is it a piece of clothing my amazing mother gave me, does it remind me of a great time in my life or the happy memories it’s associated with, or bring back the fun and laughter of a vacation I took? It’s not the clothing I want it’s the memory, but instead I hang onto the shirt, jacket, or skirt.

And this is exactly where things get jammed up and stuck, mentally and emotionally. It’s the hanging on of what was. Clearing out on one level of reality often leads to a clearing on more subtle levels. We may be irritated, aggravated, or sad and not even know why. Then we mend a misunderstanding, tie up a loose thread, or get rid of a bunch of stuff we no longer need and suddenly it is like a breath of fresh air. That’s when things begin to magically resolve themselves, or we get a new idea, or see things from a new perspective. For this to happen we need to keep things moving, and that means recognizing what we’ve moved on from.

This is the power created when we start looking at what’s changed for us. The days and months throughout the year can make these life shifts almost impossible to detect. Situations, what they meant to us, and their resolutions move slowly, changes usually happen over extended periods of time. But it is well worth it to take a look back over the year and see what’s no longer relevant for you. Pay attention to how you’ve changed in your behaviors, your thinking, what you let in or don’t let into your life. Take a closer look at what no longer resonates or makes you happy or what has fundamentally shifted for you. Name all the things you are as well as the things you no longer are. There is power in knowing what’s true for you and what no longer works. It’s natural for our feelings, attitudes, understandings, and positions to change over time, but if we don’t make them concrete or say them out loud we may continue to drag around all that outdated baggage with us without recognizing that it’s just not who we are anymore.

So make your list. What’s new? What’s different? What’s changed? What have you outgrown or what new paths are you venturing out on? Take the time to see what matters, what doesn’t, and in what ways you want to move forward in the new year.

It’s all there and it will tell you everything you need to know. All you have to do is take some time to notice it.

kb