A shiny new decade is before us, twenty years into the twenty-first century. Time is flying at such speed that it is difficult to comprehend its pace. Reflection is a gift; our minds are able to flex back—to remember beautiful, painful, meaningful moments of our lives. But to live in the past, to remain there, is detrimental to the opportunity we have now—which is to create, to nourish, and to amplify our being.
We are the conductors of our lives, and we’re also the players. We determine the sound, and we also bring it to life. Other instruments and musicians may influence us—sometimes amplifying our music, sometimes drowning it out. But we decide how richly and how intentionally to play.
This issue focuses on transformation, on seeing what’s possible, and understanding the grand power we hold in directing our course. Much of our mind energy is spent in the space of what isn’t. “We aren’t” or “I’m not” or “We don’t have enough” are critical statements driving our mental states. But the problem with this thinking is clear: if we constantly live in negativity, we’ll forever see emptiness, lack, and deprivation. That’s not a fulfilling place to be, and it certainly won’t lead to positive change.
Transformation comes only when we take explicit initiative to change course—when we envision ourselves in the place we want, instead of berating ourselves for where we aren’t. Wellness comes in many forms, through retreat and self-care, but it is also, and perhaps foremost, a mental state. Thinking positively, while not only changing unhealthy habits, is key.
We hold the brush to the blank canvas. What do you want to achieve? Who do you want to become? What is a non-negotiable, I-must-do-this-before-I-die, experience?
Envision it to the detail. Make a plan to attain it. And live in the spaces of “I have,” “I am,” and “I will.”
There is no better time, no clearer moment than the freshness of now.
Blair Knobel
Editor-in-Chief
Twitter / Instagram: @LBKNOBEL
