Open to the Possibilities

The new year is off and running, and I suspect at a faster speed than I am thus far. In spite of some of my best intentions with nearly two weeks off, far less was accomplished than I had hoped for and mostly because I ended up sick and with two additional days off from work as a result. At least I think I had two additional days off, but they passed in mostly sleep-induced blurs—I know there was a huge snowstorm and I even made a brief call-in for a meeting, but the rest seems far removed from any conscious activity. So here I am, four days into January, four doses of antibiotic in my body and starting to feel almost human once again. Almost.

I’m revving up for what I know will be a busy week ahead. You can’t be out of the office, even during the holiday season, for two weeks and not have a whirlwind of activity just waiting for you to step back into—and we have a new baby heading our way within the next two weeks, too. Everyone’s been sick in the family, including the mom-to-be, and my plan is to jump back into work, have everything ready to lend support to the new family in whatever way they need, and off we’ll go. . .

I know it’s the fashion to set specific goals for a new year, and it’s a good practice to state intentions—in fact, to announce those intentions to the universe at large. My plan is to simply keep on doing what I have been doing, but doing a little bit less. 2013 was the year in which I went full-force, hurtling my way into any number of amazing things and the end result was generally success, but the other noticeable result was exhaustion. I found myself at wit’s end more often than not trying to figure out how to squeeze everything in—and most of the time I did it and I did it pretty well, but there were occasions where I had to cry ‘uncle’ and ask for extra time, some help, and sacrifice time that might have been better spent doing something else. I’m not complaining, but rather making an observation.

So I’ve let some things go, given up on opportunities for additional (and always needed) income, delegated some tasks—and even if I’m not thrilled with what I see done in their place, it’s been necessary and I had to learn to recognize that. This isn’t to say my life is going to be filled with lots more free time, but my hope is that I’ve prioritized the responsibilities I do have in a much clearer way as I move forward so I can focus on what it is I really want to accomplish. And I’m excited.

Here’s my plan for 2014—to continue to do what I love and leave myself open to the possibilities. The best things that have happened in my life have come about simply because I have let myself be open to the possibilities, to say ‘yes’ to opportunities that intrigue me rather than be cowed by unknown factors that come along with those opportunities. My heart and mind are open to what’s out there, ready to connect my skills, my passions and my experience with the possibilities ahead in every area of my life.

While it may sound contradictory that I’m leaving myself open to the possibilities while acknowledging that I have let other things go, but I don’t think it is. It’s easy to get bogged down in our lives with old energy, old responsibilities and with things that we feel we must continue to do because we always have. It’s only when we let things go that we open our lives to the new possibilities. I have seen the abundance that has come my way and it was time to decide what was enough and what has been overkill. I know what I want my life to be and I don’t think it needs a specific set of plans, resolutions or goals, particularly just because it’s a new calendar year. There’s a conscious flow to the path that I’m on and clearing the clutter is allowing me to enjoy the journey that much more.