How do you want this year to feel?
Shifting our language when setting New Year intentions
Hi Friends:
As some of us might be still setting intentions, doing our goal-setting, and making our vision boards for 2023, I invite us all to make sure we are asking ourselves “How do I want to feel this year?” in addition to or—dare I say—in lieu of “What do I want to do or accomplish?” That tiny shift in our language and perspective can make a dramatic difference in our approach to whatever comes our way.
How do you want to feel...
...at work?
...in your home?
...with your family or friends?
...in your body?
We don’t have to be afraid of our emotions, our feelings. Sure, they aren’t always reliable. Feelings aren’t necessarily facts. Mostly because our emotions can be sometimes born from the false stories that the protective parts of us hold onto in a misguided effort to keep us safe.
That said, with practice, we can be aware of our feelings. We can honor them. We can listen to them. We can understand them...their source...and either allow them space to be or decide how they might serve us for the better. We can call up our feelings of joy and love and peace to help us heal and then recreate them for ourselves and those around us.
Be well,
tmlg
Dr. King and the Power of Hope
I know there are a million quotes floating out there on Shirley Ceasar’s internet today for the Dr. King holiday, but this is one I’ve been sitting with this morning:
“When our days become dreary with low-hovering clouds of despair, and when our nights become darker than a thousand midnights, let us remember that there is a creative force in this universe, working to pull down the gigantic mountains of evil, a power that is able to make a way out of no way and transform dark yesterdays into bright tomorrows. Let us realize the arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.”
- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Some Fantastic News
My heart is so full, y’all. Last Thursday I learned that my book, Black Joy: Stories of Resistance, Resilience, and Restoration was nominated for an NAACP Image Award in the category of Outstanding Literary Work - Instructional. Thank you so much to everyone who has supported this work. I can’t tell you enough how grateful I am. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Have you read Black Joy? Would love to hear your thoughts.