How To Have A Successful Year

Hello,

My name is Lou Redmond and I am so excited to be sharing with you today's daily insight on having a successful year.

New Year's is the time that we get bombarded with all of these messages and posts on how to have the best year ever,

How to find love,

Success,

And finally happiness.

Because of that,

We're sold new gym routines,

Diets,

Productivity tools,

Life hacks,

All intended to make us better.

Why is that?

Even with this barrage of promise and hope,

There is something inside us that still feels off.

What I realize is that New Year's brings up a sense of lack.

We're reminded of the money we didn't make,

The weight we didn't lose,

The books we didn't read,

And the goals we didn't hit.

What is meant to inspire us instead illuminates all the areas in which we are not good enough.

Along with this,

We see an influx of people on social media posting about all they accomplished this past year.

This year was the best year of my life.

I met my soulmate,

Ran six marathons,

Traveled to four to six countries,

Started a nonprofit,

And I feel like I'm just getting started.

I can't wait for what the new year has in store.

Hashtag blessed.

For my fellow recovering comparison addicts,

It's no wonder we feel awful.

But should we?

Have you made a post sharing what awesome things happened in your life?

I know I have.

And if so,

That's great.

If we feel good about our year,

Heck yeah,

Tell the world.

We shouldn't have to dim our lights because of others' insecurity.

I've been on both sides of this,

Feeling jealous of others' success,

And I've had the mic shouting my achievements.

Whatever side we fall on,

What we must realize is that the more we root for others,

The happier we become.

When we judge and project our self-doubt,

We stay stuck.

If you want to succeed,

Want others to succeed.

If you want to thrive,

Help others thrive.

Let's put resolution,

Goals,

And other people aside for now and come back to us.

While success is great,

What is it that actually gives our life meaning and fulfillment?

For me,

It's the feeling of connection to something greater,

The feeling of purpose,

Of love,

And alignment.

It's an inner experience,

Unmoved by success and achievements.

Our work this new year is not to pretend that the new daily planner is going to change our happiness,

Nor is it to sit around judging others for their achievements or lack thereof.

We know happiness is within.

We just need to be reminded.

One way to approach spiritual practice is a daily habit of remembering,

Remembering who we are and if it resonates with you,

Remembering whose we are.

We remind ourselves of the miracle of our life and then do the work to live,

As Einstein stated,

As if every moment was a miracle.

In doing so,

Our presence in the world makes an impact.

Don't wait until the new year.

Shine your light today because no matter what does or does not happen this year,

You can always come back to your cushion.

You can always come back to yourself.

Now let's go ahead and get into our practice.

So right away,

Just taking a few breaths to settle us in.

Full breath in and a full breath out.

And then begin to just find your even rhythm of breathing.

Then let's first begin to reflect on our year as a whole.

So I'd like you to take in all of that happened for you in this past year and see if you can note what was the energy of the year as a whole.

You might come up with a few words.

It could be challenging,

Transformative,

Enlightening,

Struggling,

Loving,

Purposeful,

Lost.

It could be a phrase.

See if you can see all of those energies and feelings that are coming up.

Whatever happened,

Whatever it feels like.

And with those energies,

Really working to honor and accept all that did and did not happen.

Regardless if it was a positive or negative or maybe we're still figuring out the meaning of our year.

So in this moment,

Honoring and accepting that everything that happened brought you right here.

Where we have an opportunity to make change not when the new year starts,

But when our mindset changes.

And we get to control that at every moment.

Just looking at the rest of your day today,

What are some of those words and energies that you'd like to bring in?

Feeling of love,

Of purpose,

Fulfillment.

You can just feel that from the inside for a moment.

I'm going to let that go.

We're going to come back to this.

For now moving along and let's think about some ways in which we block ourselves from feeling this each day.

And sometimes that comes up in this feeling of lack,

That we have to do something to feel like we're enough,

That we have to achieve these new goals.

So is there any of that feeling within?

Any of that tension going on?

I'd like you to start to see this feeling move away from your body.

Maybe you have these feelings of being in lack or feeling like you're not enough.

Maybe imagine a billboard in front of you and start painting this billboard with pictures and images and just energies and colors of the tension that you feel.

And if you do feel full and optimistic,

Maybe just getting out any things that might still be limiting you.

Any beliefs that you're not allowing yourself to step into for yourself.

Any ways that you're limiting yourself.

And then once you got these on the billboard,

You're going to start to repeat some words.

Feel this in your body repeating,

I am enough just as I am.

I don't have to do anything,

Be anyone or achieve any goal.

I am always,

Always enough.

I am always,

Always enough.

And as you repeat this,

As you feel that,

See those images just moving away and getting ripped down off of this billboard.

Clearing the slate,

Taking down this facade.

And then before we go further,

I'd just like you to bring to mind someone that you may compare yourself to or someone whose success sometimes threatens you or you get jealous of.

Bring this person to mind.

And you're going to share some words with this person,

Even if you might not feel this.

Sharing them and sharing with them.

Have a successful year.

I hope you crush it and do well.

I hope you're happy and fulfilled.

And may you receive all the blessings you deserve.

And just send them good wishes.

Send them your love,

Even if it might be difficult.

And once you've sent that out,

Let them go out of your mind and see this blank billboard.

And this is kind of going to be your vision board for what you're going to create.

But you're going to do it from the inside.

You're not going to try and get something from the outside.

So what are those feelings again from within that you wanted to bring into your day?

Feelings of love,

Of purpose,

Of fulfillment.

Feel those feelings and those energies be the one that get painted onto this billboard.

And maybe as those energies start to move out,

They start to crystallize into actual images and actual achievements.

But you see yourself doing it from the inside out,

Not from the outside in.

So send that out.

Get a vision for a few moments.

What does that look like?

What are those experiences?

Once you have that out,

I'd like you to turn around from standing on your billboard and look down at the ground.

And you see that it's all the people who's going to receive your light this year.

All the people who are rooting for you.

Those same people that you rooted for,

They're rooting for you as well.

So see all of your support system on the ground cheering you.

They want you to succeed.

They want you to be happy and do well.

Just for a moment,

Feel what it's like to receive that love from them.

And it might be tough.

It might be,

Wow,

That's a lot.

Notice that as well.

And then letting that go and coming back into your body right here,

Right now.

And feel the miracle of your breath,

Of your heartbeat.

Maybe even bring your hands on your chest or your belly.

And again,

How do you want to bring this miracle into your day?

Because you have all of that within you right here and right now.

And you can always come back and remember who you are,

What gives your life meaning.

And from that place,

We get to succeed day by day,

Not year by year.

So lastly,

Just surrender yourself here.

Surrendering yourself to all those things that you can't control.

And trust that if you're acting from the center,

All will be supported and guided.

And then gently open your eyes and come back.

Thank you so much for practicing with me.

I'd love to hear how your year was and what you want to cultivate for this year.

So please leave a comment.

I love to audio reply to each and every one on a daily insight.

So I am rooting for you so,

So much.

So let's really take our year to be the most fulfilling that we can.

Thanks so much for being on this journey with me.

Namaste.