Goals and Slow Living for 2016

“Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope - a slight change, and all patterns alter.”

~Sharon Salzberg

January is a funny month. Fresh starts and new fitness regimes blend with post-holiday fatigue and the return to work.

Is it just me or have resolutions fallen out of favour? My friends and family didn’t mention them this year, and I’ve seen more than a few blog posts condemning our need to set long to do lists and vague goals for a ‘new year new me’.

Personally I stopped setting new year goals a couple of years ago. I never kept them, and I rarely felt good about them - these tasks became looming ‘things I should achieve in order to be the person I felt I could be if I really tried’.

However, January does seem to bring a sense of possibility. It is an opportunity to reflect and consider what is important in our lives and what we want to focus on. Perhaps rather than setting goals, we could aim to build one thing, or frame the year ahead with an overarching theme.

Over on Stone Soup (fantastic cooking blog) Jules has set a theme for her year. Kelly Exeter is going with the one-word option and Leo is looking at rules instead of goals.

Me, I’m seeking a slower pace this year. One thing at a time, savouring the moment and learning to say no to over-loading my schedule. Last year was a huge one, exploring meditation more deeply and stretching myself intellectually by heading back to full time study. Listening to Brooke McCalry’s Slow Home Podcast (highly recommend giving it a listen) and reading more about minimalism has inspired me. Slow might allow for more mindful living. Taking time and space to relax, reflect, be grateful and choose to focus on things that matter.

This year, 2016, will be a year of slowing down to pay attention. Doing less, to appreciate more. Slow, mindful living.

How about you? What are your plans for 2016? What would your one focus or theme be if you thought about it?

As for this blog, well I’m embracing slow here too! Slow but considered blogging, launching a course I’ve been building gradually and possibly pursuing an idea for a podcast. We shall see.

If you want to stay up to date as these ideas unfold, please sign up for the newsletter below. I send it out once a month, along with a free guided meditation.

Wishing you all the best for the year ahead.

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