It’s that time when we look back on the past year, and set ourselves goals about how to make this year better. New Year’s Resolutions have a habit of being rather short-lived, and a lot of that is to do with how we actually perceive ourselves and how we understand change. Often, we enjoy the security of a “stable” self-image, which means not changing too much or too fast. Or we believe there’s only so much we can change. There is a big trick the mind plays on us to make us limit any imagined or potential future by reference to the past.
The past and the future don’t need to be different shades of the same grey!
Just ignore the mind for a minute and look at the world. See how a caterpillar wraps itself into a cocoon and emerges as a butterfly! Ask the mind to predict that one, and it would fall way short. Every time a creature is born or an invention is made, the illusion that the future depends on the past falls apart.
Shortly after I started doing yoga, I moved to Geneva. It seemed that EVERYONE had a horror story to tell me about how impossible it is to find accommodation here. Their idea of my future was based on their pasts and those of people they knew. However, my own experience was smooth and painless. Things fell into place so effortlessly that no-one could believe it.
If you refuse to be limited by the past, the future can open itself up in ways to you that your imagination can’t even dream up!
To encourage people to grow and change and reach higher towards their dreams, I thought it would be great if we could share stories about times when we’ve done things we - or others - thought were impossible. It could be anything from managing to touch your toes to climbing a mountain. Please share generously and inspire people!
