Scanning through the morning mail and seeing this statement jerked me back into reality:
“I’m very pleased with each advancing year. It stems back to when I was forty. I was a bit upset about reaching that milestone, but an older friend consoled me. ‘Don’t complain about growing old – many, many people do not have that privilege.’” ~ Earl Warren, 1891-1974
Right after that splash of cold water in the face, I reviewed an update from a friend concerning her husband who is suffering from a form of cancer. They spent the entire New Year’s Day and evening in the hospital with him receiving his blood transfusions. This week he will have another bone marrow biopsy to see if the leukemia has progressed, and to asses starting another round of chemotherapy.
And what was it again that I was worrying about just prior to reviewing the morning mail? Somehow it doesn’t seem so significant now. No matter the circumstances you find yourself in, there is someone else out there who is struggling even more.
Last night I read an interesting article containing the following comment, “And when faced with light or darkness, we all too often choose our anger, our fears, our failings.”
The message being communicated was that darkness exists so we can choose, so that we can become the creator of our own lives, the conductor of our own symphonies.
What better time to reflect on the creation of your own life, right now, the beginning of a whole new year?
On Monday I was privileged to spend some time with a life coach. She offered some solid advice that may also be of help to you as you dig deep into your own being and reflect upon your dreams and desires for this new year:
- Who are you?
- What do you want? What is important to you?
- What are your needs?
- What are your weaknesses, your strengths?
- Define what you want in a relationship.
- Give yourself some time to reflect over the last years.
- What unresolved issues do you have?
- There are only 2 kinds of feelings: 1) Those that feel good and 2) Those that
don’t. Honor yourself. - Walk through the discomfort, the feelings.
- Put it on the table for you. Be true to you.
- This has to do with honesty – be true to the self.
- Open the box and let some light into it.
- Does guilt drive you?
- Honor the self, not in a selfish way, in a selfless way.
- #1 thing to do: honor the self. If you cannot honor you, pay attention, you
are not going to be happy.
What an opportunity to lay a strong foundation for the upcoming year – and our life in general. Hmm, I intend to take some time and journal my responses to these questions. I invite you to do the same. Perhaps we can dialogue a bit about what comes up? In the meantime, have a blessed day. : )