{"id":379425,"date":"2015-01-01T16:20:00","date_gmt":"2015-01-01T16:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/2015\/01\/01\/new-year-same-me\/"},"modified":"2015-01-01T16:20:00","modified_gmt":"2015-01-01T16:20:00","slug":"new-year-same-me","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/2015\/01\/01\/new-year-same-me\/","title":{"rendered":"New Year, Same Me"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Happy New Year (and happier reflections,) Journeyer!<\/p>\n

\u2018Tis the time of year when millions make New Year\u2019s resolutions, set plans to exercise more, eat less, finally get around to writing that book, be kinder, take that long-desired vacation, or save some money for a rainy day\u2026<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

I\u2019ve been reading many articles that are dressing up and toning down the \u201cresolve,\u201d instead labeling their decisions regarding the New Year as \u201cintentions,\u201d or \u201cwishes.\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
I\u2019ve never been one to make any form of New Year\u2019s intention. I guess I\u2019ve always worked to set goals and make changes all the year through.<\/p>\n

I figure that February 3, May 17, or September 29 are equally practical days to make new choices regarding the way we conduct our lives, the associations we make and keep, and those about fulfilling our hopes and dreams.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

We don\u2019t need any specific day to choose a new way of life for ourselves. That said, if one of your goals in the coming year is to resolve some grief so that you may move forward in living your best personal, professional, or philanthropic life, check out The Five Facets Philosophy<\/span><\/a><\/span> on healing and join me as we work to help our many neighbors who are struggling to succeed over some sorrow.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
If all the New Year-New Me Resolution stuff has you feeling like you\u2019re being left behind or somehow lacking, then recognize that you are the same person today that you were yesterday at eleven fifty-nine pm.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
Now, though I\u2019d love to have woken up this morning having shed the fifty pounds I\u2019ve gained in the past five years, I know\u2014just like you know\u2014that transformation doesn’t happen overnight. It evolves.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
We are constantly in a state of change.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
We shed dead skin.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
Our hair grows; even in places we wish it didn\u2019t.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
My nails split.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
Our lungs expand and contract with each breath.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
Our heart beats and pauses.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
Our mouths move.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
Our ears interpret.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
Our thoughts wander and our ideas build the life we want, moment by moment.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
I am a recovering smoker, eight years and one month in the making.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
Here\u2019s how that happened: My doctor told me about the drug, Chantix, which was producing positive trial studies. I spent two years telling myself I\u2019d quit when the product hit the open market. (The Preparation.)<\/p>\n

I obtained the script, picked up the prescription, and looked at it every day for weeks, telling myself that I couldn\u2019t possibly quit smoking because I\u2019d recently discovered that my husband had been having an affair. (The excuse.)<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n

I stayed mad at Hubby, not only for his indiscretions, but for being the reason I couldn\u2019t change my behavior as I\u2019d planned\u2026you know, all that added stress and all! I couldn\u2019t possibly focus on change when my life was in a state of chaos. (The Blame and The Denial.)<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
One day, I finally told myself (a scolding, really) that my desire to do something different with my life had absolutely nothing to do with my marital situation. I had spent a long time thinking about and planning a healthier life; why would I want to allow someone else\u2019s actions to deter me from achieving my goals?<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
I set a date two weeks out, marked it on my calendar, and moved forward one day at a time.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
Though November 16 marks my first day without a cigarette, there were numerous other declarations made leading up to that point.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
When all of the media hype and approaching New Year hullabaloo began, I thought briefly about setting an intention to write three times a week. The biggest reason for this was because I felt I had to<\/i> if Hay House or any other publisher were to take my writing seriously\u2026<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
The truth of the matter is that I think about that often, and then I step back and acknowledge the many things I\u2019m doing to move The Fave Facets forward, like making connections, preparing speeches, finding additional platforms to present this work, producing literature\u2026preparing a book proposal\u2026<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
If I spread myself too then, if I post more often because I have to<\/i>, that rushed and reckless writing will shine through\u2026 That\u2019s not the mark I want to leave behind.<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
I believe that consistency is key to credibility and to change\u2026<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
I am the same person today that I was yesterday, and the day before that, and ninety-six days before that; I am constantly changing, learning, and evolving\u2026<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
What about you, Journeyer? Do you go gung-ho with New Year\u2019s Resolutions? Do you they stress you out? Or do you simply transition, with the date being but a flip of the calendar page and a new date to put on the dotted line?<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
Until next time,<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
Yours in hope, healing, and happiness,<\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n
~AE<\/o:p><\/span><\/b><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Soon\u2026<\/span><\/b><\/a><\/o:p><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Happy New Year (and happier reflections,) Journeyer! \u2018Tis the time of year when millions make New Year\u2019s resolutions, set plans to exercise more, eat less, finally get around to writing that book, be kinder, take that long-desired vacation, or save some money for a rainy day\u2026 I\u2019ve been reading many articles that are dressing up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3064,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[747,1347,41,69,1311],"class_list":["post-379425","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-change","tag-new-year","tag-new-years-resolutions","tag-the-five-facets","tag-the-five-facets-philosophy"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/01\/New-2BYear-2C-2BSame-2BMe.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379425","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=379425"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/379425\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=379425"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=379425"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.annahelizabeth.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=379425"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}