I don’t know about you but each December 31st I seem to make resolutions and by the end of the following week I can barely recall them. So this year I’ve decided to trade them in for values. By focusing on a few values that really call to me to explore them in depth I find that I not only end up with good guidance about life choices during the year, but I also learn a great deal in the process. 

For 2013 my values are simple, but simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy. The first big one (and not in order of priority because they all feel pretty important) is self-respect. For years I’ve focused a great deal on consideration of others. This is good and essential, but often it was at my own expense. That is I didn’t listen to my own inner voice about what felt right for me. The origin of the word “respect” comes from Latin and in Italian it literally means to reflect back, as if you’re looking in a mirror. So this is a good start for me – to begin to look at what the experiences in the world around me mirror about my attitudes towards respecting my Self. By Self I mean that Divine Self that’s deeply and intimately connected with Spirit.

Other values include Self-confidence and balance. The word “confidence” derives also from Latin and means “with faith.” How can I develop more faith in my Self, that part of me that guides me to where I’m meant to be at the right time? What does it mean to have faith? After a couple of years where my personal life seemed to unravel, my faith in that Self was shaken, but not lost. Challenging experiences demand that I dive deeper and find the bedrock of spirit within.

When I think of balance, the teeter-totter comes to mind. If you’ve ever tried to sit on one and maintain an equilibrium with a partner you know that it requires serious effort. I know that I tend to spend a lot of time writing and working, but I need to balance it with more time for friends and family. Working with the value of balance in eating, exercise and pretty much every aspect of my life will keep me attentive to what promotes the middle path with no excesses.

As 2013 rolls in I wish you a wonderful year filled with spirit, love, prosperity, peace, and joy.

Bio: Debra Moffitt is the award winning author of Awake in the World: 108 Practices to Live a Divinely Inspired Life and “Garden of Bliss: Cultivating the Inner Landscape for Self-Discovery” (Llewellyn Worldwide, February 2013). A visionary, dreamer and teacher, she’s devoted to nurturing the spiritual in everyday life. She leads workshops on spiritual practices, writing and creativity in the U.S. and Europe. More at http://www.awakeintheworld.com and on Facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/DebraMoffittAwakeintheWorld