My Year of the Open Heart

It’s 2015. A new year. Clearly I have things I’m working on, but I don’t consider them resolutions. These are changes I need to make, for my family’s financial survival, for my own emotional survival.

I’m not making any other goals for myself, but I do want 2015 to be different. It’s not a specific action I want to take, but an attitude I want to embrace. I want 2015 to be my Year of the Open Heart. I want to approach everything this year with an understanding of the universe as a place of abundance, where there is enough (joy, peace, happiness, love, insert positive word here) for everyone. I want to focus more on giving to others and less on what I can get for myself.

I have been so very blessed in this life, I have so incredibly much, and it’s time for my to focus to be on giving some of that muchness to the people I love. The last seven years I have been in crisis or survival modes. There wasn’t anything left for anyone else and I walked around wanting something from everyone. I wanted love, I wanted support, I wanted validation, I wanted recognition. I wanted SOMETHING from EVERYONE. This year I’m turning it around. This year I’m reveling in gratitude for what I have, and focusing on giving back to those I love. This year it’s about how I can give love, give support, give validation, give recognition. This year it’s about how I can be the mother and wife and daughter and sister and teacher and friend that my kids and husband and parents and sister and students and friends need me to be. Because I can do that. I can be those things. I have everything I need to be happy. I have been given so many precious, invaluable gifts. I will not squander what I have. I will celebrate it.

And I will give back.

What do you want to do in 2015?

16 Comments

  1. I love this! A friend of mine wrote on FB that her 2015 resolution was to lead with the positive – lead with the possibility. Similar to what you’re saying, and such a great attitude to approach life with. I want to be on the same mindset path as the two of you!

    1. Thanks. It’s not the way I’ve approached things in the past (I’m ashamed to say), so it will take some practice, but I think it’s worth the effort.

    1. Thanks. I am too! I only have a few preliminary ideas of how I want to start giving back, but I’m expecting to be surprised by some of what I end up doing. πŸ˜‰

  2. I’m with you on this. We must remember, though, that we can’t fill others up if we ourselves are empty. It’s OK to be me-focused while being other-focused, if that makes any sense.

    And I’ve also observed that sometimes when I turn on the spigot to give, I have resources I didn’t even know about.

    1. I am very much aware of the need to fill my own cup and keep myself healthy before I can help others. I think the reason that I want to do this this year is I’m already clearing away a lot of what used to suck me dry, and I’m finding that as a result, I have stores of positivity that I never had before. I hoping, as I keep clearing away that which doesn’t serve me, I have more and more reserves to offer others. I am also hoping that I tap unexpected reserves of resources when called upon to help others.

  3. I think this is such a wonderful goal and attitude to adopt for the new year. And I’m sure you find that you will benefit just as much if not more than those you are giving too. Happy new year!

    1. Happy New Year to you too! I will admit, I’m expecting to enjoy this quite a bit. I really do love giving, and I think a lot of good can come from it.

  4. I love this mindset. I consider myself not much of a resolution-y person yet I end up having goals every year anyway. This year my primary one is to take better care of ME!

    1. That is a very important goal Mrs. T. If you come up with any good ways to do it, let me know.

  5. That’s a wonderful goal.

    Mine is very simple and very self-centred. I need to earn some money this year – whether through contracts or employment. I don’t like feeling I can’t be generous because we’re short on money.

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