For me, 2011 holds three new resolutions. They are:

Own your mythic story

Practice your art

Don’t define yourself

These three charges came from part of a sentence from The Four Insights by one of my guides and mentors, Alberto Villoldo. (Thank you, Alberto.)

Let me explain what each means to me.

Own Your Mythic Story

For me, this means rise above the smallness. Rise above the suffering that happens in my mind. Sure, there are things in my life that aren’t the way I wish they would be. And if I wanted to, I could dwell on those things. I could sit around and let them stew. (Want some examples? How about the challenging relationship with my 16-year old son or the inconsistency in how I’m building my speaking business.) I’ve learned that my ego loves it when I stew, because then, I’m solely identifying with the issue. My ego is then safe and secure and completely wrapped up in my supposed problems.

However, if I’m able to own my mythic story, I rise above it. I’m able to see my soul’s path, in this moment and in this lifetime. When I see things at the mythic level, I no longer view them as the problems that they are, but rather the opportunity that they afford me. For me, not having a website that folds in heart-centered work into my coaching business is only an opportunity.

We are all dynamic and divine beings. When we own our mythic story, we are able to step into the divinity that we are. I’m holding this place for myself, and for you as well.

Question: How can you transcend your current situation to see your soul’s path?

Practice Your Art

To paraphrase John Lee Hooker, if the boogie woogie is in you, then it has to come out!

What is your art? Is it music? Writing? Is business your expression? Whatever it is, it desires to be made manifest. And in the broadest possible way.

Know your art first. One of mine is writing. I’m meant to simply write more. To write the next book that I’ve been working on. To write more newsletters and share my experiences. To write more on Facebook and Twitter (which I need to be better at.) But do you notice how it says, “practice your art”? Not put a heaping ton of pressure on yourself to get things done and make your art happen. So this means to simply practice. To play. To allow yourself the freedom for creative expression to happen. That’s nice and light and airy. (And it’s pretty different from how I usually approach my business and writing.)

Question: How can you throw off the pressure and play more with your work?

Don’t Define Yourself

Now, this is a tough one. I don’t know about you, but I’m constantly passing judgment on myself. I’m constantly wishing I could do more or be more. And I usually define myself by how well I’m doing.

Then I have moments like this one where I wake up and realize what I’ve been doing. I get that I was being too harsh on myself.

Also, it’s about not overly identifying ourselves with the roles that we have. I may still be a coach, speaker, father, boyfriend, but I don’t have to take so much time and energy wearing that identity. It frees me up to my soul’s existence, not a mental existence of labeling myself. Sure, I’ll still do my best to provide for my son and instruct him in the best way possible, but I don’t have to wear the role on my sleeve. Sure, I’ll buy my girlfriend gifts for Christmas and try to make her feel as loved as possible. But I don’t have to own that label either. It allows me the space to simply BE.

Question: If you didn’t have to define yourself so much by your roles, what would that leave you free to do? Or rather, what would you be free to be?

These are my 3 new charges for 2011.

What will you stand for now that it’s a New Year?