The ringing of a new year carries along with a strong desire for new beginnings and fresh starts.

Maybe you are about to quit a job you hate or considering starting a new hobby. Maybe this is the year you decide to enter therapy or leave a toxic relationship. As we make plans for the ever so monumental first of January, do we have the urge to resolve and grow in new and exciting ways?

2020 was a hard year for many, even without the pandemic. I noticed that many people began noticing unresolved problems in their life. My experience was not noticing the problems that pre-existed, but rather new problems arising.

Family issues, mental health problems, grief, loss, abuse, and relationship failures. I began to feel that my world was ending. However, with each ending comes a new beginning.

Think back to a time you experienced some form of loss. Maybe you got fired, lost a loved one, or lost your house. Now think of what followed. After losing that job, were your eyes opened to the fact that the job was holding you back from your true passion, to begin with? Losing that loved one is tragic and almost unparalleled, but for some, it can renew a basic love for life. With the loss of your house, did you realize that you were carrying too many extra things that were only weighing you down?

Despite how heavy your burden and heart feel from whatever loss you experienced in 2020, how often have you reflected on how precious time is regardless of all the chaos that constantly circulates around us? Sometimes it takes us stepping back to realize that we are not living life to our full potential.

After bogging myself down for so long with my own life-ending problems, I made one connection. I am the only thing holding myself back. Yet, realizing this was not the end of my problems. One does not simply think the world is falling apart and then solve world peace.

It was only the beginning of solving my personal problems. I began to set myself free.

In order to set something free and let something go, I needed to admit that I was holding onto trauma. Next, I needed to pinpoint why I was choosing to hold onto it.

Abandonment issues, abuse, mental health problems, hidden trauma. It took a lot to admit my problems, but this was a necessary step in admitting that I had wounds to heal.

How would I ever be set free if I continued to anchor myself down with these negative experiences?

It was a rocky start. I have a long road I have yet to travel, though I am on the way. Sometimes, all we need is perseverance. I persevere because I know that at the end of this road, I will find peace.

Keep walking to find out what the end of your road holds. Where does your next journey begin?

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