New Year, Be You

I’m sure you’ve seen Forest Gump — still one of my favourite movies. If you have seen this film, you might remember the scene where Forest visits Jenny in her dormitory at college and she asks him if he’s thought about who he would like to be one day. Forest’s response:

‘Aren’t I going to be me?’

I’ve seen so many articles each New Year, and leading up to the New Year, that say something along the lines of ‘New Year, New You’. Are they saying that you are not good enough being who you are? Why should we try to be anything different than who we are? Shouldn’t we be nurturing our true self and letting that shine through? We often look for the answers out there, focusing on superficial changes, instead of looking within. It’s kind of like exploring outer space when we don’t even yet completely know and understand our own beautiful earth. Imagine the transformation and regeneration of our own planet if all those resources were spent here, instead of ‘out there’.

That is why each New Year so many resolutions are made, but very few hold. We focus too much on the outside: ‘when I have a well-toned body, I will be happy’, ‘when I’ve lost 10kg, I will start to have more fun.’ It actually works the other way round. You can only start to improve yourself once you love and accept who you are right now — and focus on what is going on within. Then you will be starting from a more stable foundation if you try to make changes.

My challenge for you this year is to connect with who you are — and become okay with that. Stop striving to try and be the person you think you are supposed to be, the person that you think others will like or be impressed by. Then spend all this energy you will be saving, on becoming the best you possible!