Happy new year!

Psst... between you and me, this could be the best year of your life -- why?

Because 2024 is laying before you right NOW.

All you have is the present moment, and if you keep your heart and mind centered on living fully every minute, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

Now, I know a lot of people are making New Year's resolutions that include health, wellness, and fitness goals. But before you get a Fitbit, download a calorie counting app, or clean out your kitchen, allow me to offer a morsel of food for thought.

As one of my dear friends once told me, "You are not a project, you are a person."

This is something to keep in mind as we set intentions for the New Year. Above all, remember to love yourself exactly as you are right now. Self-improvement agendas are far less important than this.

Inspiration, fulfillment, and purpose are necessary for lifelong growth and learning -- which is our whole mission here at The Sacred Science -- but easy does it. Rather than forcing ourselves into some idealistic mold, let's give ourselves permission to evolve at our own pace and taste each unique moment of life as we live it.

As Ursula Leguin once wrote in her classic novel The Left Hand of Darkness:

"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end."

With this in mind, here are 3 highly impactful and easily-implementable habits that will help you on your journey:

#1 Journal

Take the time to jot down your dreams, your thoughts, and the experiences (good and bad) that happen each day. You can also include short and long-term goals if you're so inclined. It's a great way of keeping yourself oriented in the "larger picture" of your life.

Gift yourself a new journal this week! Commit to taking a few reflective minutes with it every day. You'll be surprised how quickly and easily this becomes a habit.

Then when 2025 comes around, you'll have a lovely record of some of the most significant moments of your 2024 journey.

#2 Meditate

I talk about this a lot because it is so fundamental and important. Meditation has changed my life and is a practice that I'm passing on to my children. And it's backed by science.

Meditation gives you the time and spaciousness to check in with your body and really listen to what hurts. Sometimes life gets so busy that we go into "auto-pilot." We get so focused on our daily tasks that we ignore the ways our bodies are crying for attention.

A study done at Harvard Medical School proved that meditating 20 minutes a day consistently lowers stress levels, reduces pain and inflammation in the body, and helps significantly to relieve anxiety and depression.

#3 Get outside for at least 20 minutes every day!

The great outdoors is a powerful medicine in itself. In Japan, there's even a word for the act of walking in the woods -- Shinrin Yoku -- or "forest bathing."

Getting outside reminds us on a cellular level of our ancient roots, a time when our ancestors lived in accordance with the cycles of the earth and communed with wildlife.

Even simply stepping out for an after-dinner walk around your neighborhood can transport your body and mind into a state of profound peace. The research is in and it turns out we humans need a certain amount of sunlight and fresh air every day to function at our peak.

Easy-peasy, right?

In 2024, the time is ripe to create a wonderful life that you can savor every precious minute of.

Remember, we're all in this thing together.

Stay curious,

Nick Polizzi
Host of Healing Kitchen: Let Food Be Thy Medicine
& Founder of The Sacred Science

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