At the start of the new year there is often external societal pressure to focus on resolutions, what we want to fix or change about ourselves and what we’re finally going to do differently. This can lead to overwhelm, exhaustion and inaction, especially when we try to change everything all at once. We start off full steam ahead, and that’s often sustainable for a few weeks. So if you’re sitting here in the third week of January wondering what happened to your best intentions or resolutions, or if they never even came to you, be gentle with and kind to yourself. True transformation requires connecting with the deep yearnings of your soul, takes time and often requires steady, grounded action and support.

Intuitively, nothing was coming to me in December or early January that I wanted to change or fix, and I hadn’t felt the call to review the past year yet. I didn’t sign up for the “New Year, New You” special at the gym, download the newest calorie counting app or set my first quarter goals for my business. I made a date with my soul two weeks into January, because that’s when I felt drawn to reflect and write. On a quiet evening after my husband had fallen asleep, I made myself a hot cup of tea, grabbed my journal and pen, tucked into bed with my dog and reflected on the past year-the good things that happened, the challenging things that happened, the lessons and the blessings.

I wrote about what my soul was yearning for right then. Turns out, it had nothing to do with losing weight, quitting a bad habit or leaving my job. My soul yearned for quiet, reflective time. Time to practice yoga, to learn, to be outside, to slow sip coffee while reading a good book. My soul yearned to be deeply connected to and guided by myself. To be authentically me, and to own that each day. To continue to serve my corner of the world in my community. To be in joy, laughter and play without armor and protection. To continue to nurture friendships and relationships and to travel and adventure. To put down my work. To grow our family and be a mama who parents her children with love and joy instead of from wounds.

I felt aligned and deeply connected, dreaming into the year ahead from a place of deep soul inquiry and in my own timing, instead of what the external world thought I should be or be focusing on. I feel confident that I can create a steady, grounded, achievable plan to stay connected to my soul yearnings and let that guide my year.

Soul Inquiry

If you’d like to tune in, be guided by your soul’s deepest yearnings and vision the year ahead, I invite you to take some quiet time (when it feels right to you) to journal, reflect or meditate on the following questions:

1.) What is your soul yearning for?

2.) What would you like to create space for in the coming year?

3.) What would you like to celebrate this year?

4.) What relationships would you like to prioritize?

5.) What is one baby step you can take for each of the above questions in this direction?