There are some lighter energies in the air as we head into mid-January. It’s always helpful to know such trends so you can take advantage of them. While we’re still in the wild ride of ups-and-downs experienced in 2015 and the Mercury Retrograde continues until January 25, other energetic factors can help boost your mood and your productivity. In this article I describe how to take advantage of this.

Update Your View of 2016

Sometimes when a year begins with a Mercury Retrograde and its inherent delays, there’s a tendency to get bogged down in details and forget the big picture. If this has happened to you, or you are simply not your typical new year joyful self, read on.

Right now you are likely to feel a mix of feelings, stimulated by our conflicting energies. In one moment you may feel buoyant and hopeful, the next moment doubting yourself or doubting your goals are achievable. Relax – this dichotomy is the micro level of things. Remember – big picture.

Your Wise Divine Changemaker Self

As a divine changemaker, your wise self is indeed enthusiastic about being here now. That part of you is hopeful about life, the world, and your ability to be a powerful change maker.

It knows that indeed boundless positive potentials  are available, with even more opening to you as you take the next steps. This part of you trusts there is a divine plan, and it keeps you active in the orchestration of that plan by showing you the next appropriate steps and helping you to take them in divine timing.

Right now is a perfect time to experiment with ideas you have been contemplating. You have an abundance of help now to refine those ideas and to rework them into something very fruitful. Consider a key idea now and invite your inner wisdom to reveal tweaks you could make, including perhaps connections to other things you had overlooked. Invite a knowing of individuals or groups who can be instrumental to your success with this idea. They be known to you now, or brand new.

Vital Role of Relationships

Remember – other people and groups of people can be key factors in how you experience 2016. No matter how independent you are, others matter in your outcomes. It’s more than the people, of course, it’s how you relate to the people.

What unfolds in your life in 2016 depends in large part on your interactions with others. Consider, then, how you can improve your social skills and your self-confidence reaching out to others in a meaningful way. Start at home with housemates or regular visitors. Look at how you communicate with these people – can you ask for what you need and are you comfortable setting boundaries to say “no”? Are you in touch with what you feel, when you feel it – helping you to appropriately express yourself to others?

Become Neutral about the World’s Craziness

To prepare for your best 2016, here’s another tip involving the outside world. Even if you don’t watch the news, you pick up on the craziness right now. Fear is the driving factor. Do what you can on a daily basis to view the weirdness in a neutral way. Refuse to get caught up in the hysteria, the panic, and the non-stop talk of what to worry about next.

Understanding Compassion

Unless you can become neutral, you cannot be a sane voice in the crowd. Without neutrality, you can’t be the effective change maker you are destined to be.

Seek to know all sides of things, and to have compassion for both sides too. One-sided compassion is not true compassion.

Use Positive Moments to Re-energize and Re-commit

When we sit in more positive energy moments, use those times to re-energize and re-commit. Doing so is aligned with how nature works – in cycles, one paving the way for the next in an artful way.

Last week I spoke about the importance of commitment in 2016. Have you thought about what you are committed to? Have you considered, too, how committed you are to yourself? What I mean here is how invested you are in taking actions to fulfill your larger purposes here on Earth. How committed are you to giving yourself the tools and support you need to be all that you can be?

Trust that you deserve to be committed to yourself and also to goals that are larger than you. You will be happier when you make and act on such commitments. That is what will give you positive energy juice, and fuel your next steps. That is what will take you out of the mundane and into the quantum realms of infinite possibilities. It is where you can shine and be happy about your life. This is not an external happiness – it’s very deep and authentic, related to your core. Only you can create it – are you ready?