“Remember what you look like through Spirit’s Eyes. If you forget what you look like in Spirit’s Eyes, it’s very difficult to see Spirit in everyone else.” (Excerpt from Sides: Conversations with Dad)
In this conversation, Dad was reminding me that I hadn’t taken enough alone time to just “be”. When we don’t unplug from the world—take quiet time, or play time, or contemplative time—we forget that we’re always nourished by something bigger than our linear experience.
When we forget this, we allow our physical demands to define who we are and what we need. Our perspective becomes small and our breath becomes shallow. Breath is Spirit. It’s the first thing we do coming into this world—the last thing we do before we leave. It supports every waking and sleeping moment of our existence on Planet Earth.
So as we breathe, we can begin the process of remembering who we are and what we look like in Spirit’s Eyes—the perfect starting place for putting our New Year’s Intention into play.
Our aim to be more mindful, loving, patient, joyous, passionate, fun Human Beings looks very different when we see, experience ourselves through a Higher, more loving perspective.
We must first find this inspired place in us in order to project ourselves into the future. If we don’t, New Year’s “Resolutions” become “an exercise in futility”. They become yet another list of “things to accomplish” rather than a “strong desire to live from a place of passion and purpose”.
A mental construct of how we want to be in the coming time is very different than a feeling, living embodiment designed from the eyes of a loving Place inside ourselves.
How do we arrive at this Higher Perspective? Inspiration.
So, each of us must ask the question: “What inspires me and how do I ignite that inspiration/passion?”
The answer is different for each of us. We have our “go-to place” to get inspired: music, movies, poetry, dancing, humor, play, our animals, and scripture.
Once we identify the “how”, we must, then, commit to taking the time needed to inspire ourselves. Not until we do, can we play with identifying our New Year’s Intention/Resolutions. Let’s come from a place of desire: “want” to do this and not come from a place of “should”. Let’s encourage ourselves to be Bigger Expressions, more expansive, loving versions of ourselves than we have ever dared to be.
Fear, no doubt, will show up. But, to quote Susan Jeffers’s book—Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway—let’s have the courage to do just that. Life is more wondrous when we allow it to unfold rather than “making it happen”.
From our most loving place, through “Spirit’s eyes”, our Resolutions are released and ready to be birthed. Happy New Year…
Diane Halperin 
Diane,
Thank you for your post. A friend once said “We change the world one person at a time. And, we start with ourselves.”
So true. When I started loving myself for the work in progress that I am, the world started loving me more. It always did and now I could see it.
Love and hugs to the most adorable, smart, smarty-pants friend and mentor, ever,
Holly
I’m surprised that Diane’s writings aren’t on the NY Times “Best” list, or a mainstay of every spiritual house of prayer or meditation. I believe that taking her charge into our hearts and minds, one person at a time, would meet and erase the toxic energy that is all too readily available.