"Becoming" gets a bad rap in Buddhist Meditation circles- but I always remember Thanissaro Bhikkhu's reminder that we hold onto and cultivate the wholesome parts of this "self" while we are navigating the path. We can't just wake up one day and decide we're done- it's a process- one that is gradual, gentle, and clear about what is moving us towards unconditional happiness and greater ease. The first step in that is moving away from the obvious things that drag us down, that cause harm to our self and others.
So when I say "Who will you be in 2017" it's an invitation to really ask the question. We all have the seeds within us for the full spectrum of experience. From anger and greed to great happiness and joy. Sadness, despair, grief along with tenderness, elation and the emptiness of potential. Which seeds do you intend to water? Which to you intend to weed out when they sprout?
Being a kind person, a generous person, a person who practices meditation regularly- all these things will lead to openness and ease in the body/mind system. This ease can be encouraged to expand- to spread out into all areas of our lives if we put the effort in. Is it easy? No. The human condition is one of grasping and avoiding. When we come into contact with something unpleasant the natural tendency it to try to get away from it. But if our intention is to meet life with kindness, to "be a kind person"- how might that change the response? Even if by a few degrees.