For me January is a time to clarify my vision of myself.  I take the time to look within and ask myself is this what you really want for yourself Dale?  I am a follower of my own inner light as each of us on this journey of self discovery is.  I have chosen a path that will keep me on track with my vision, that will pull me back when I get distracted; and I certainly do get distracted. 

So my chosen path continually creates for me new forms of discipline; daily, weekly, monthly and yearly activities that draw me back to the only thing that is truly important to me, my own inner awakening.  Every year in January I offer a vision, passion and goal setting workshop so every year I review my vision for myself and recommit to the activities that nurture me. 

Recently I had a brief chat with a longtime acquaintance.  She recognized she was in a rut and wanted to change but didn’t know what she wanted.  I told her she just missed a goal setting and visioning workshop I offer every year.  She responded with “Oh, I don’t believe in this New Year goal setting thing.  She is not alone, for many years I didn’t either.  In fact my leaning was toward a recent quip I read, “Resolutions – they go in one year and out the other.”  I believed they were only for people who couldn’t make up their minds, who had low self esteem or who were over achievers with no real social life.  I didn’t understand the principles of empowerment involved in clearly setting our intentions.

Eventually I realized I had dreams and desires slipping away while I meandered through an unaccomplished life.  I was getting no closer to a sense of real fulfillment… except where I had inadvertently made a solid declaration, usually in some state of desperation.  I was living in a perpetual state of mental turbidity.  I didn’t know what I wanted, not clearly, not with certainty.  My greatest opportunities could have come knocking at my door and I wouldn’t have recognized them.  In fact they did, but I was so completely caught up in making my life work with what I had I didn’t see my moments of grace until all likelihood of pleasure and possibility fell away.

In desperation I changed my life (not that I had any real choice), I made some clear decisions about what I wanted in work and relationships.  I didn’t really do anything different, I didn’t know how.  Somehow some power corresponded to my declarations, new people came into my life and they brought with them new opportunities, doors were opening.