Each new year brings the opportunity to evaluate the level of satisfaction with our lives and the communities in which we live. Human nature seems to compel us to grow, become better and improve our situation, no matter where we currently reside. We may think that if we “change this,” or “become more disciplined about that,” we could live the happier and more productive lives we envision. Such self-reflection is healthy, especially when solutions take root and forward our progress by consciously cultivating greater fulfillment.

For me, a small business owner, this flip of a page in the calendar year also fosters serious contemplation about how Natural Awakenings can better fulfill our mission to promote healthy living and a healthy planet in our local community. We are here to shed light on significant trends that promote a brighter future for us all

 I’d like to mention three trends that have improved dramatically since I started publishing Natural Awakenings in 2007 and continue to hold great hope for the future as more of us embrace these innovative concepts and make the adjustments necessary to benefit our daily lives. It’s up to all of us, individually and collectively, if we want to free ourselves from the crippling burdens of runaway healthcare costs, dirty and politically unstable energy sources and lifestyles that value consumption, rather than well-being.

First up is wellness care. In this New Year issue, Dr Andrew Weil discusses a roadmap for integrative medicine that challenges the conventional healthcare model of medicating every malady before looking at root causes. America’s increasingly integrative approach to medicine shows promise of the potential to move America from what Dr. Andrew Weil terms its current “disease management system” to a true “health care” system. He and other practitioners are proving every day that keeping people healthy costs far less than treating preventable diseases. Making good use of individualized wellness care and alternative therapies that work is something Natural Awakenings readers have been intending for some time.

Green living and alternative energy are the next potential gold rush of renewal. Economic booms in recent history have been driven by shifts in technology from coal, oil and electricity to computers, the Internet, biotechnology and nanotechnology. Many experts foresee the next boom being driven by clean energy technologies, as people’s desire for a more environmentally sustainable planet accelerates. Our political leaders need to chart a clear course for the country to move toward self-sufficient, renewable energy as soon as possible. A third, more subtle, trend is realizing optimum self-care, because it is possible to give generously to others without sacrificing our own well-being. Let’s make 2015 the year that we make a new distinction regarding the way we treat ourselves. If we all set our intention toward maintaining inner peace and being our personal best, we can create a more heart-driven world, with profound opportunities to help others. Our thoughts, emotions, words and deeds all count toward creating a more equitable world where all share in the promise of a good life, with love and prosperity to share.

For 2015 let us not be satisfied with resolutions. Let’s focus on transformation.

Keep it green,

Reid Boyer, Publisher