What Needs to Change?

By Karen Van Allen

It is January and time to self-assess. Did I reach my goal in 2021? It is not a typo; I had one goal for the entire year. Maybe I was too optimistic since I’ve had the same goal for nearly a decade. Who was I to think I could publish a book? Self-assessment is not an opportunity to look at where I failed to get it right; it is about making changes and moving forward.

     I am a left-brained, analytical thinker, which means that I examine how I spent my time. What needs to change in my external environment? Can I adjust my schedule and find more time to write? Is there an activity that I am doing out of habit and not because it brings me joy? Am I willing to let it go? This approach has not worked in the past or I would be writing about why you should read my book. It is time to investigate my internal beliefs instead of rearranging the external environment.

     What is my belief about how much time and energy I have available? Did I feel like a victim when I spilled coffee on my laptop and rendered it useless? Am I looking for excuses not to write because it brings up painful memories? It is time to change any limiting thoughts and replace them with what is true for me now:  There is an abundance of time and energy available now; and I know that the book will be completed at exactly the right time.

     The next step is to release any thoughts about what I think needs to be done to write and publish a book. Lesson 194 of A Course in Miracles says, “I place the future in the Hands of God.” The Lesson continues, “You are but asked to let the future go and place it in God’s Hands. And you will see by your experience that you have laid the past and present in His Hands as well, because the past will punish you no more, and future dread will now be meaningless.” It is comforting to know that regret for not reaching a goal last year is released, and I don’t have to worry about whether this will be the year that I finish the book. This allows me to be in the present moment, and that is where the power is.

Karen Van Allen facilitates A Course in Miracles study group, which meets on Zoom every Monday night from 6:30-8:00 pm. New and continuing students welcome. Message me for link and password.