soul stretch yoga blog

"Good morning and welcome to Flight 2022.  We are preparing to take off into the New Year.  Please make sure your Positive Attitude and Gratitude are secured and locked in the upright position.  All self-destruct devices;  pity, anger, selfishness and resentment will be turned off at this time.  All negativity, hurt and discouragement will be stowed away.  If you lose your positive attitude under pressure during this flight, reach up and pull down a Prayer. Prayers will automatically be activated by Faith.  Once your Faith is activated, you can assist other passengers who are of little Faith.  There will be NO BAGGAGE allowed on this flight.  God, our Captain, has cleared us for take-off. Destination: greatness!"
-Author unknown

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The holidays are upon us. The obligations are piling up, our days are shorter and more hectic, and the balances in our bank accounts start dipping perilously low. Stowing away our resentments and anger and disencouragement doesn’t seem possible.

Christmas, the “happiest season of all,” is a time we measure ourselves against others: Did we buy better gifts for our kids than our neighbor? Are our outside decorations stunning enough to win a prize in the community competition? Should we splurge on a beef tenderloin we can’t really afford for the holiday meal just to impress our sister’s supposedly rich new boyfriend?

And New Year’s is even more painful, because it’s a time we measure ourselves against ourselves. Did we lose 10 pounds, run a 5K, become vegan, stop nagging our kids, make it to work on time most days, learn to play the piano, write a novel, make $1 million? Probably … not.

Every year, most of us vow that the holidays … and the coming year … will be different. We will be optimistic for the future and stop dragging guilt and shame and unworthiness and selfishness and vanity around with us and just enjoy life. We will be models of gratitude and peace and humility.

Yeah, sure.

But lovelies, there is a way to move ourselves toward positivity and grace. It’s the practice of the Three Wise C’s: Choice, chance and change. We must be willing to make a choice and take a chance to become the change we want to manifest.

We humans love to hang onto our opinions and attitudes and habits. We are obstinate and defensive, with ourselves and others, even when we know the only way to move away from our pain and stress is to make a choice, take a chance, and then maybe, maybe, maybe we can change.

The most persistent roadblock to change comes from one place, you know … your past. But life is happening right now, this moment, so we need to reclaim our fierceness and courage.

Gandhi said, “Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words.  Keep your words positive because your words become your behavior.  Keep your behavior positive because your behaviors become your habits.  Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.  Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny.”

It sounds a lot like the Three Wise C’s: Make a choice (positive thoughts), take a chance (practice positivity) and live the change (positive outlook).

This New Year’s, keep it simple. Resolve to choose optimism. Resolve to choose faith. Choose to react with faith and optimism to those hills and valleys God tosses our way. Weed out the I shoulds, I won’ts, I can’ts, the it’s-too-lates and the I’m not good enoughs. Take a chance on I can, I’ll try, I can make this work, I have enough, I am enough. Practice choosing your thoughts carefully, guiding them to gratitude and positivity and empowerment. And before long, lovelies, you’ll be living the change you want: you’ve dumped your baggage, pulled down a prayer and activated your faith.

In writing this blast, Tina and Kathleen and I made our own Three Wise C’s resolutions, which we’d like to share:

Tina: Each morning when the amazing aroma of coffee wakes me up (because of course I set my coffee pot on a timer!), I will choose to remind myself that it is a new day. A clean slate. No matter what happened yesterday, it’s in the past. I will choose to start fresh with a mug full of gratitude and half-and-half. I will be compassionate with my heart and tell my worries and fears that there’s no room for them today. I will take a chance on pushing myself out of my comfort zone, knowing that “Only Good Lies Before Me”. And I will live the change of knowing that it’s a good day to have a good day.

Rose: I wake up with a hangover of aches and pains and worries and fears and problems. But I will remind myself that I am blessed, starting with the simple joy of being awake and alive. My life isn’t perfect, but I am fed and warm and loved. I will practice focusing on my faith, asking God to wash the windows of my soul and let me take a chance on hope and love and peace. To live the change of being generous and kind and godly in my words and thoughts and deeds.

Kathleen: I am a hoarder. I hoard control and righteousness and impatience. I need to be right and in charge … right now! In 2022, I will choose to ease up. I will take a chance on really listening to the words people are saying to me; not to verbally jousting to make a point, but to hear them. I will let go of thinking I have to do it all myself because I will do it better, best, perfect. I will live the change of being a gentler, kinder version of myself, true to my faith and my heart and my God.

Embrace the Three Wise C’s, lovelies. Choose positive thoughts, gentle thoughts, hopeful thoughts. Take a chance on prayer and surrender and kindness. Only then will you peel back the layers of old ideas and habits to make room for the change you want to live.

Tina and Kathleen and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and a New Year filled with choice and chance and change. You deserve it and so much more!
Resolve to Evolve in 2022!