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Issue 1 -- Setting a theme for the New Year

Ever since I was a little girl I remember celebrating the New Years with my family. The biggest holiday of all in Russia, New Years was the night when most families gathered together around an elaborately planned meal that would last for hours. We would eat, drink, talk and just before midnight we would bid farewell to the Old year. Then, as the clocks strike midnight, we would open the door and welcome the New Year with champagne and wishes. What did we wish for? We wished for good health, prosperity, peace … and, most importantly, we wished for the New Year to be better than the old.

I find that “wishing” is different from making the infamous New Years resolutions. To me these resolutions are often a reflection of our “shoulds” rather than our “wants”. How many times have we made a resolution to go to the gym three times a week because we thought we ought to? And how many of us continued to go three times a week throughout the year? You get the point.

Wishing, on the other hand, is different. Wishing lets the Universe know about what you really want and through that it opens you up to those possibilities. For instance, my wish for the upcoming year is to publish the novel I've written. I have really no control over the publishing industry and so it's the job of the Universe to grant me that publishing contract. My job is to take actions to get that contract (polish my manuscript, write query letters to agents, negotiate, etc). As soon as you divide the spheres of influence – Universe's job is everything outside your control and your job is taking actions – you feel lighter. You stop beating yourself up for not selling that novel or getting that promotion, all the while you are still going for it -- without all the negative implications of complaining and feeling bad.

A word about complaining. It's a known principle that what I focus on, expands. So if you focus on what's lacking in your life, more of the same will come again and again. And it'll drag you down to the place of stress, worry, anxiety, taking all the energy you need to be creative and seize the opportunities. But, if you focus on what you want, you'll have a feeling of peace, positive thoughts, and unlimited possibilities. You'll open yourself up and since the Universe doesn't tolerate vacuum it'll rush to fill it in and it'll deliver. That's what making a New Years wish and choosing a New Years theme is all about.

I’ve chosen my theme for the next year to be Success. How about yours?

Happy Holidays!

Margarita

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