Look inside yourself for this New Year’s resolution to find peace in 2017

By Caitriona McMahon

Taking up exercise, smoking your last cigarette, saving €5 a week. What could I be referring to? New Year’s resolutions of course.

Some of the best yoyo diets I’ve been on started on January 1, the best time of the year to sell gym memberships by a long shot.

The new year has always been about changing something in our lives whether it involved taking up an activity or cutting one out.

There is a constant desire to be better or to be more but never to just be. My issue with this is that even though it can be a powerful motivating force we sometimes only focus on the exterior self.

Have you taken time to get to know your true self? Did you know it existed? It’s the part of you that captains the ship regardless of the course you take. The part of you that has been your best friend since birth regardless of circumstances it has protected you.

So what if this new year we did something a little different? On January 1, 2017 instead of looking at our external self, maybe we should take a look inward in what is known as reflection.

We won’t require any mirrors for this one I’m afraid but you will discover your true self in the reflection.

What are we looking for?  ….what ever you can find. We often spend so long planning ahead and wishing our time away we simply forget to reflect on our lives to date.

Have the struggles you’ve gone through taught you something about yourself?

Did life throw you a curve ball when you least expected it perhaps forcing you on a different path?

Have certain people left an imprint on you?  Have you considered these questions before?

These are but a few of the sample questions you can use as a starting point to reflect on.

I often writing a journal as a method of reflection. And there’s a particular quote I love.  ‘Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart. Who looks outside dreams; who looks inside awakes,’ – Carl Jung.

The prospect of a new year can be extremely daunting especially if you are suffering or struggling with something underneath the surface.

The best way to deal with this is a head on approach. In this case looking into your inner self may require the support of a therapist or someone you can open up to and know that this is perfectly normal and okay to need a helping hand during the exploration.

The fact is our early years shaped us even though our recollection may be vague. In a way looking inward is reconnecting with our childhood self as we embark on a treasure hunt together to find the missing pieces.

I assure you investing this new year in your inner self will present treasure you never knew existed. Try it for yourself. I did and it was the best decision I ever made.