The BIG question every New Year’s Eve – CAN PEOPLE CHANGE? 

It’s one of the most common questions I’m asked.  And of course it’s the biggest question on everyone’s mind at this time of year as the good ol’ New Year Resolutions are being thrown about.

Hubby and I were discussing this very question in the car just before Christmas and I had a revelation.  A pretty simple one.  I realised that it’s my own personal experience, and indeed those of my clients, that we don’t actually change, what we do is open up, unlock, and explore a part of ourselves we haven’t yet accessed, didn’t know existed, or even pushed down long ago and either forgot or ignored.

Imagine that.  I sat there a bit stunned.  So, all this time I’ve been willing myself to “change” – to get better, be better, create better habits, “change” my ways to better ways…putting that pressure on myself to change me.  Now, what would it mean if I actually had all this capacity within me, I don’t need to “change” anything, I just need to explore inside and unlock a new, as yet undiscovered (or forgotten or ignored) part of me??

How awesome.  How liberating.  How bloody exciting.

I can have my own adventure of finding new ‘mes’ inside.  I sat there in the car in a sort of daze as I imagined the hundreds, if not thousands of Serena’s or ways of being me, or possibilities of being me, that were opening up inside – WOW.

And then I had another realisation – why am I so shocked by this??  I see this everyday in the clients I coach and train, in fact it’s the basis of the coaching methodology I use – moving from a current way of being in the world in a given topic, to a new way of being in the world.  I see others unlock those new ways of being that offer alternatives – you don’t just throw away the old way, you simply unlock healthier, new and different ways to give you more relevant and appropriate options.

So, what can I do with this potentially powerful piece of info?  Use it.  Offer it to others.  I’m offering it to you as you think about your year ahead.  What would you like to explore for 2016?  What facet of you would you like to discover, what skill, passion, habit, dream, belief, way of thinking or being would you like to unlock and play with this year?  Would you like to access a relaxed you?  An action-oriented you?  A more playful you?  A less judgemental you?  A patient you?  A surfboard riding you?  A listening parent you?

Any and all aspects of you are available and ready to explore, and I think one of the keys here is to understand that your ways of being are just that – YOURS – not mine, not your bestie’s, not Jennifer Lawrence’s – YOURS, they’re unique to you, they’re your own way-of-being fingerprints, so there’s no pressure to be like someone else, or to “change for the better”, it’s simply a journey of touching into and honouring you.

So, as you look to the year ahead, the great year of 2016, what you is ready to burst out?  What you would you like to explore, play with, and put to good use?  What possibility of you would you like to realise this year?  Find her, be bold and brave, greet her, get to know her, be gentle and loving with her, and let her start to play and see what she opens up for you…see what you open up for yourself!

Have a fun and adventurous 2016!

Serena has recently joined forces with Jeannine Verriest to form an exciting new venture, Luminosity HQ, offering a fun and interactive Connection Workshop Program for 2016 on the Central Coast – the first workshop in the series, held in January, is “Creating 2016 – Visions, Dreams & Aspirations”.  Check out www.luminosityhq.com for details.

Serena also LOVES her work as an Integral Coach where she works with clients to gently move from a current way of being in an area of “personal stuckness” to a new way of being.  She’s also a facilitator and trainer specialising in the areas of boundary setting and assertiveness.

Serena’s favourite things in the world are travelling, baking, eating, laughing, and connecting.

Visit her website www.theyouspace.com.au to check out more.