Global Village Voice

Thinking of making New Year’s Resolutions? Think again.

The most popular thing to do at New Years (besides drinking champagne) is probably to Make Resolutions. You tell yourself, your friends and your family (and if you’ve overdone it on champagne, perfect strangers!) that next year you’ll do it DIFFERENTLY. Next year, you really are going to lose those extra 20 pounds, even if you have to starve yourself to do it. For a time you stick to your plan. You diet, you join the gym and you lose some weight. Somewhere between Valentine’s Day and June, you lose your momentum. Summer rolls around and you beat up on yourself for not sticking to the diet and you dread putting on a swimsuit. Somewhere between Thanksgiving and Christmas you realize you really did eat that whole plate of cookies and you swear to fast until New Years so you don’t end the year without losing a single pound! Now it’s New Years Eve and you hate the sense of failure to meet your “resolution”, so you try to muster up some confidence to try again next year. (Maybe this contributes to the amount of champagne consumed on New Year’s Eve!)

Instead of making resolutions, what if you Set Intentions for 2009? Read More…

Posted under Current Events, Personal Growth

The time between Thanksgiving and New Years can be a whirlwind of activity, when shopping trips take three times as long as usual and every joyful cookie exchange means an extra hour or two in the kitchen.  Mindfully choosing your activities can keep you grounded in the moment, but to truly enjoy the holiday (or any) season, you also need to create space for…nothing.  When was the last time you turned off the television, turned off the list making in your brain, and simply sat on your couch?

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Posted under Personal Growth

Did you ever try to remember details about past holidays and find that they all blur together?   When I noticed this, I realized it was partly because my family celebrated exactly the same way every year.   More importantly, I recognized my tendency to become less mindful as I got caught up in the busyness and activities of the season.  I seemed to go into ‘auto-pilot’ mode where I let myself be swept away by the tide of traditions and family expectations.  

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Posted under Personal Growth

This is the season when we are reminded to give thanks.  In the whirlwind of family events, how do we take time for mindful gratitude?  One way is with a Gratitude Journal, a special book devoted to listing the things, large and small, that enrich our lives.  If you have one that you’ve been neglecting, now is a great time to revisit it.  If you don’t, consider finding a few quiet moments each day to list ten things you are grateful for.  Choosing to focus on gratitude first thing in the morning creates a positive outlook for your whole day. Read More…

Posted under Personal Growth