happy 2011!

"the beginning is the most important part of the work."- plato

me on new year's eve

the first days of the year; fresh and blank, like a new canvas, pregnant with limitless possibilities and visions.  another year is laid out before us, and the only thing really holding us back is ourselves.  our artwork can become whatever we wish, and many of us are SO incredibly lucky to have the opportunities to design whatever we desire.

patrick and i spent much of new year's day discussing and planning our dreams for this year. one topic we kept returning to was that a person really must be the strongest and the most determined at the very beginning of a goal.  once a habit is formed and one breaks free from the struggle of being new to something, the effort becomes loads easier.  so are beginners tougher than intermediates or experts?  perhaps..  we must develop a thick skin and a rugged determinedness in the preliminary stages.  however this can be quite hard to do without any background yet of experience or expertise.

in this respect beginnings are very exciting, yet entirely challenging.  we must charge forward, working harder than we think we can; while keeping an eye out for the more advanced future you somewhere in the scenery.  and we can't forget that with time, confidence and patience will reveal themselves to us with ease and grace.  just stick to the plan and don't give up!!  press on, never stop moving, enjoy the journey, and keep your eye on the prize. 

last year i made no new year's resolutions, the year before that i made too many.  so this year i'm going to make just a few.  i've found it's much better to set realistic goals in an attainable time frame, so as not to let yourself down.  

my 2011 road map:

1.  stop biting my nails.  i don't bite them all the time, just when i'm nervous.  while i bite, pat says, "ew, what are you chewing on?  is that a nut?"  i don't want him to say this in 2011.

2.  another hand/finger goal haha- to use my left hand more.  i do a lot of work for purusha with my hands, and sometimes i'm like, "left hand, you are useless.  right hand, you're exhausted.  let's make a compromise."

3.  to find a schedule that works for me.  it's beginning to come together, but i still sometimes feel like my day is all over the place.  i'd like to figure out a routine that feels right- with just enough work- not too much, not too little.

4.  to laugh at myself more.  sometimes i'm so god damned serious about myself, stressing out and getting all worked up!  i almost always look at that part of myself later on and laugh.  i want that later on self to laugh now!

5.  to get purusha on the cover of yoga journal.  ha- this one's a bit of a stretch, but whatever.  i'm asking the universe for it.  see what happens...

6.  last one.  to keep doing what scares me and never stop facing my fears.

cheers to new beginnings!  happy new year my friends, my loves!