Here we are at the start of a New Year.  The month of January normally has people wrapped up in making resolutions, life changes and different choices.  No matter where you found yourself at the beginning of 2019, welcome to the New Year. The two months of the New Year often brings many people into a season of reflection.  January is the time for new beginnings, fresh starts and change, while February is the month of LOVE. My question for readers is what are you positively planning in the areas of new beginnings and love?  

Now for some of us, those two thoughts can go together, new love, or new beginnings in the area of love.  For others, it can be a new component of self-love. For some, it could be learning to love self. For those who find themselves in one of these three categories, let me offer a little advice.  

New Love

If 2019 is the year you decided to find love, go for it.  I can recall being single and celibate for 8 years and then when I decided to get back into the dating arena, I made the worst choice ever.  EVER. However, as much as I thought I was ready, I realize that at that time I wasn’t really ready. So make sure that your decision is based on sound judgment.  If you are looking for a hook-up be honest with yourself and any potential hook-ups about what you want. Same goes for long term or monogamous relationships. Be upfront about what you are looking for, and be honest when and if what you are looking for changes.  Save yourself and any potential partners or hook-ups the unnecessary hurt or frustration. If new love is on the horizon for 2019, go for it! And Good Luck.

New Beginnings and Love

So if 2018 was not the best year in the area of love and dating, maybe 2019 will be your year.  If you ended a relationship or a marriage or a situationship, and find yourself single and ready to mingle, get out there and go for it.  If you find that 2018 zapped the loving feeling out of you and 2019 will be the year that you reclaim you, go for it. Do what feels best for you and don’t feel obligated to succumb to pressure.  Happiness is an inside job and if you are not working on loving yourself, being a partner to someone else may not have the best outcome. Evaluate where you are and where you want to be and dive in with both feet.  Make it happen, whether with someone else or by yourself.

Self-Love

So many of us struggle with this.  And if that is you and you decided 2019 would be the year you loved on you!  DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! It is never too late to practice the art of self-love and yes I define it as an art.  Too often you may find yourself doing and giving to others, whether at home, at work, in friendships, in relationships and marriages, any aspect of life.  Where do you fall in all that? Where is the time to care for and love on you? If 2019 is the year you decided to take care of you. Make it happen. You can start small like scheduling a bubble bath once a week, 10 minutes uninterrupted with a cup of tea or a glass of wine (even if you have to take it in the bathroom and lock the door).  Maybe it is leaving home 10 minutes early for work and just sitting in the parking lot listening to your favorite music for 10 minutes. Whatever it is plant those seeds and make it happen. You will thank yourself later.

Whatever 2019 is looking like for you, know that you don’t have to wait until the beginning of the year to do or start anything.  Start where you are, with what you have. In most cases, the most difficult thing to do is to take the first step. The results won’t happen overnight but they will happen over time.  

Plant Positivity reap the fruits of your labor…