New Years Reflections

Have you made any New Years resolutions? So many are looking forward at the beginning of the year, but it is also a great time to reflect on what we’ve accomplished in the last year. To reflect means to see the world clearly as it is, like a lake reflecting images of the mountains that surround it. How do we come to a place where we can more clearly reflect? Through stillness.

I met with a client today who arrived busily thinking of all the things on his plate that needed to be done for his business. Instead of jumping into all that, we took some time to quiet and reflect on the many changes he’d made in the last year. With some reframing and reflection he realized that the last year for him included taking on a partner, increasing his business by 80%, and doing it all while working less and having more fun time. By taking the time to reflect and bring into his consciousness all that he had accomplished, his perspective on what needed to be done completely shifted to a place of more confidence, calmness, courage, and faith. From that place he was able to articulate a more proactive and inspiring vision for his life, and to come up with some goals and practices that are in line with that.

An articulate and inspiring vision is one that emphasizes what we are for, avoids shoulds or shaming, resonates with our deepest values and beliefs, and encourages us to choose connection over alienation, joy over despair, solutions over bitterness, and new insights over habitual responses. We imagine a positive future, bring it forward into the present, and then live, moment by moment, into the world we wish to create.

I invite you to take some time to reflect on your year. What qualities did you need to bring forth or what muscles did you build in order accomplish all that you accomplished last year?