New Year, New Me! My Resolution for 2015 and Beyond!

Happy New Year, everyone! Even after the Three Kings and the celebration of the Black Nazarene have gone by, it still feels like the first day of the new year for me. Hehehe.

So, how did the first 12 days of the new year treat you so far? I hope this year of the sheep is turning out the way you wanted it to be, or if not, I hope you're all coping very well and getting yourself ready for all the blessings and challenges that lie ahead.

As for me, it really didn't happen the way I planned it to be. Well, come to think of it, my entire life, though a blessing with everything I have achieved and accomplished, didn't really happen as planned. But I won't bore you with all the details. (If you're an old reader / follower of mine, you'd know what I'm talking about). Let's just focus on the past two weeks. Teehee. ;)

WHAT DID HAPPEN...

Welcoming the year of the sheep started out great considering that I did not expect at all to be with the people I bonded with over the holidays. The UNEXPECTED SERIES of FUN started out when my good friend, Anne, visited me before she went to Australia for Christmas. I cooked for her, she brought a bottle of Chardonnay and it was all girl bonding for one whole weekend before the official holiday break! Cheers! :)

Then my mom and brother visited me a few days after that and stayed with me until the 27th of December together with my cutesy little nephews. They're probably thinking that I might kill myself that Christmas which was why they came. How sweet! LOL! So more cooking, drinking and bonding, albeit unexpected, happened... hic!

 

Then my Bebe Hanz came for a visit and stayed with me until Jan. 3! Yipeeee!!! Suffice it to say that I got the best gift ever this Christmas even if he was 2 days late. Hehehe.

 

Then my best friend Mer from CDO came to Manila so me and Bebe Hanz got to meet up with her. The time we had together wasn't enough. We hope to visit her soon back in CDO. Perhaps, this summer? *Keeping my fingers crossed*

Then we also got to bond with Ate Nemia who came to Manila all the way from Bayugan, Agusan del Sur to visit one of her daughters. Ate Nemia is the former GF of Bebe Hanz's older brother back in the day who remained to be a good friend of their family. We were just with her last November touring the scenic places of Surigao del Sur and it's so nice that only a month has passed and we were with her again, this time, with all her daughters + her pretty little granddaughter! 

And the instant little party we had with them at home was totally awesome! Thanks Bebeko Hanz for cooking up the idea right then and there! Instant party galore! In short, more eating and drinking! (^_^)

 

And on my Dad's birthday, I welcomed the New Year with a new love in my arms in the company of my family. We stayed there for a few days. Meaning, more drinking and bonding!

Then before heading back home to Alabang, we got to meet up with my old friend from the theater arts, Star. She's now into the Royale business and I bought some products from her for health purposes.

Then on the last day of the holiday break, after my Bebe Hanz went back to Oslob, Cebu, my good friend Anne came for another visit and we spent the evening chatting up until the wee hours of the morning! That was officially the last day of drinking alcohol and eating high cholesterol food. *burp!* It was one full circle! 

THE PLAN WAS...

Honestly, I really thought I was just going to sleep the whole two weeks of the holiday  break! Though I much needed rest and recuperation from what has been a very hectic 2014, I'm glad I spent the holiday with people I care about. Unfortunately, I had to get sick. Yep, I'm no wonder woman after all. This baby is getting older and her body is not as it used to be. Can't handle non-stop alcohol drinking, socializing and binge eating anymore. Hehehe. Or maybe I just really needed A LOT of sleep.

AND NOW...

So that's what I've been doing the past week this new year --- SLEEP. I have to. I was down with the flu for a while. I still have cough and colds. But in between sleep and chores (I live alone, so I still have to get up and make food to nourish myself even if I didn't have the energy to), I managed to read a ton of material about self-improvement. After all, it's the new year and I want to be a new me, meaning, better than I was before. 

MY RESOLUTION...

2014 has been such an emotionally trying year for me that I promised myself to not only rise from it all, but to come out as a better person. And I think, I have, little by little. Bebeko Hanz can attest to the fact that I'm not the same old Jen I was before and he's been amazed at the minor and major changes I've been exhibiting. For one, we no longer fight. Well, at least it's been almost two months since we had our last fight and a very serious one at that... we thought we were falling apart. That actually gave me more than enough motivation to shape up, change myself for the better, and fast! Also, I now am capable of being happy by myself. If before I was needy, now I am self-sufficient. I am also more forgiving and generous with my love and I can let go of stresses more easily now. Though I am not perfect (well, nobody is), I am just at a better place right now, in terms of mindset, that is. I now only focus on positive things, circumstances and people and have discarded everything and everyone that don't contribute to my well-being.

Good life, after all, is all about having the right mindset. If you keep thinking and focusing on the negative things (like regrets, resentment, stresses, etc.), then that's what will keep on happening. If you keep thinking and feeling good about what you have in your life no matter how little you have, then your life will eventually be a manifestation of all things good. So me and my Bebe, we just focus on positive things, on what we're thankful for each and every day whether big or small, on moving forward. It's the new year, and we want new and better things for us (I'm not just talking about material things here, ok? But if we'll have new stuff, sure, we'd gladly accept them with open arms, of course! Brand new MUX, bebe? Let's keep praying! ;))

In a nutshell, there is really just ONE MAJOR LESSON that I've come to learn and apply in my life the last few months as I was focusing on this journey of making myself better. You probably already know this and it's good to be reminded of it once again. My Bebe Hanz is also a living proof of this and he has inspired me a lot to really practice it in my life.

LIVE IN THE NOW. BE PRESENT.

I used to be a worrywart. I used to think about the past and worry about the future... A LOT! It's a trait I got from my mom and though it can be good when used in less than moderate amounts, worrying too much about the future or dwelling about the past (what went wrong, what I could've done to make it right, etc.) really doesn't help anyone.  Worrying makes you either focus on the past (which you can't change) or the future (which you really can't control 100%); it makes you think of what you lack and makes you feel bad about your life in general.  It's like sending out this direct signal to the universe that you don't want to be happy and be blessed, that all the good things you want in life won't happen because you don't believe in them anymore, because you've been too jaded and you'd rather be dead. Okay, maybe not that dramatic but you get my drift, right? It's really a bad state to be in and it will just attract more negative things in your life. To counter that, we have to live in the now, be thankful with everything we have NOW and fully experience and appreciate each moment as it comes whether you're with someone, or alone, or with a ton of other people.

- By REALLY living in the now, every moment of your life, you make yourself and the people you're interacting with (be they your family, friends, colleagues, significant other, etc.) happy.

- By making "is-ness" your business, you say no to resentment and regrets (coz resentment and regrets are all about bad feelings created in the past); you say yes to forgiveness (coz forgiveness is a gift you give yourself in the present moment so you can continue living and loving in the now).

- When you live in the now and really enjoy each moment as it comes, you get to be inspired to be more of who you are (or who God intended you to be) because you are not bogged down by regrets and resentments; you are not weighed down by fears and worries (which are imaginary future scenarios that never really happen).

- When you live in the now and focus your energy on it, you get to arrive a lot faster at the destination you have always wanted.

So, let's make "is-ness" our business. I'm making that my main business this year and the years to come. And hopefully, by being present at each and every moment of my life, my new dreams will quickly start coming true. (Hogwarts, Japan, anyone? Okay, let's just have a mini me. ;)) 

I've blogged about another version of this on my Kicking Pinay blog entitled How to Not Worry the Kicking Pinay Way. You can check out the more practical steps I laid out there on how to not worry and live in the now each and every day.

So, how are your first 12 days of 2015 again? ;)

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone! Let's all make this one count!