#lovemyselfrevolution

So it's the start of a new year.  The time of year when promises to create a better version of ourselves fill our brains - along with advertisements from marketers on how they can help us be the best us ever!  New Years Resolutions at their core are promises to improve ourselves.  The most popular resolutions are losing weight, eating better, exercising more, spending less, quitting smoking, drinking less, traveling more, being more organized, and pursuing a hobby.  On January 1, millions of people make these promises to themselves.  However, according to Dr. John Agwunobi, chief health and nutrition officer for Herbalife, only about 8% of people who make resolutions actually see them through to their end goal. Year after year, resolutions go unfulfilled.  And I imagine that year after year people feel disappointed in themselves for not sticking to them.  They feel unhappy about their weight and wish that they had had the will power to stick to their diet all year.  They are stressed out about finances and regret that they were not more disciplined in their spending.  They still have that achy low back and wish that they had spent the time exercising and losing weight to help alleviate the pain.  Ultimately, the cycle of making and breaking resolutions is one that causes us to feel worse about ourselves because we take something that we already feel crappy about, i.e. smoking everyday, and compound it with guilt and anger about our own failure to do anything about it.  What started out as a way to love ourselves more ended up being a ticket to self sabotage.  We end up punishing ourselves for what we didn't accomplish rather than celebrating all that we experienced throughout the year.

I am a person who has set resolutions in the past and "failed."  In fact, I am not sure that I have ever made a resolution that I have seen through to fruition.  This year I am trying something different.  In my reading about love and self love, I came across a quote that read, "Loving yourself is the greatest revolution."  This was a very powerful statement for me and has stuck with me.  It was really the catalyst behind my delving deep into the notion of self love and the creation of the movement that I have started called the #lovemyselfrevolution.   I chose this name because I love that it can be read two different ways: as "Love Myself Revolution" or as "Love My Self-Revolution".  The name allows for us to love ourselves as we are, while also loving ourselves enough to transform into our highest selves, which is a revolutionary act.  The goal of #lovemyselfrevolution is to inspire us to celebrate all of the ways in which we are loving towards ourselves, in addition to celebrating the ways in which we are evolving.  I have started using #lovemyselfrevolution on all of my social media posts that celebrate me loving myself.  And because I believe that loving ourselves and allowing happiness to flow freely into lives requires us to be intentional and purposeful, I did these four things in place of a New Years Resolution and invite and encourage you to do the same:

1. Choose an Anchor Word: A definition of the word anchor is "that which gives stability or security."  We all know that an anchor is what keeps a vessel moored to the bottom of the sea to prevent it from drifting away.  So an Anchor Word is a word that represents that which forms the foundation of your being - that which helps to keep you grounded.  It represents the basis of your identity.  I chose the word "Love" as my anchor word for 2017.  Love towards myself and love towards others.

2. Choose an Intention Statement: An intention statement is one or two sentences which describe how you intend to live to allow happiness to flow freely into your life.  My intention statement is, "In 2017, I am going on a living spree.  All that I do flows from love and supports living life in the most open, limitless, enriching way possible."

3. Choose an affirmation/ mantra: I have created a series of phrases that I have begun using during meditation, yoga or at times when I am not feeling grounded.  It serves to remind me of my anchor word and of my intention.  My affirmation is "I love myself.  I nourish my body.  I nourish my mind. I nourish my soul."  Repeating these phrases while connecting with my breath allows me to be present in the moment and to be in vibration with my intentions and purpose.

4. Create a "bucket list": when I went to yoga earlier this week the instructor handed out a sheet of paper with space for us to list 10 things that we want to do in 2017 and suggested we include the month in or by which we would complete it.  I loved this activity and felt like it really aligned with the other things I had chosen to do to kick off the new year.  In creating my list, I kept my anchor word, intention and affirmation in mind.  Here is what I am up with:

• Start a business (October)
• Hike through a rainforest (February)
• Run a 1/2 marathon in less than 3 hours (April)
• Wear "the dress" this summer (August)
• Visit a sunflower farm (August)
• Get a Himalayan Salt Lamp (March)
• Go to the San Diego Zoo (spring)
• Make cauliflower crust pizza (January - I did this one last night!!)
• Meditate on a mountain (June)
• Go on a solo weekend retreat (November)

I am extremely excited for 2017.  Creating these statements, words and lists has allowed me to celebrate life and inspired me to set a blueprint for allowing my happiness to flow freely.  I feel as though I am starting the year from a place of love instead of a place of fear about being overweight and failing to do anything about it.  I feel empowered and filled with positive energy.  I love myself and I want to create a life that nurtures that self love- not one that blocks it.  

I am also excited to share this with you.  I want to inspire you to love yourself and to create a life which allows your happiness to flow.  I want you to feel empowered and filled with positive energy.  If you decide to join me on this journey, I invite you to share your statements and lists on social media, to post pictures that depict you loving yourself, and to use #lovemyselfrevolution.  I would love at the end of the year to do a search on that hashtag and see all of the ways in which we all loved ourselves in 2017!!