As we move to the close of 2013, this is
the perfect time to reflect over your life experiences over the past year. Now I know for some, this may seem
pointless because research has shown that more things get left undone on the
‘ol resolution/goal list than done, but reflection time is not all about
whether or not you moved everything from the goal list to the done list. It’s
also an opportunity to experience gratitude and to re-locate your passion.
It’s easy, after all, to get stuck in a rut of day in
and day out. Every day go to work, every day go home. Maybe workout, maybe see
some friends, maybe do something different… but probably not. Ho-hum, boring,
right? But not necessarily so.
Today, I encourage you to ask yourself some
questions. What were your blessings over the past year? Did you grow
mentally and/or spiritually? Who did you get to see? What did you get to
experience? Is your family healthy? Are you healthy? Did you see the smile of a
loved on today? Did you hear your favorite song? Did you eat? Can you shower in
your own home? Do you have heat? Do you have a coat, a car, a phone,
electricity, clean water? These are all blessings! Some that others don’t have and
maybe never will have, yet we so often take for granted. If you live in this
country, especially, we have the opportunity to go and be whatever we want, the
opportunities can be limitless! Write them down and count them up. It’s amazing
how inspirational and uplifting this can be and if you feel a moment of
discouragement, whip this list out and then smile at your future ripe with possibility.
Now, once you’ve counted some of your blessings (because no doubt no matter how long the
list there will be plenty more that you missed) and only after, consider this.
With all of those blessings and the opportunities you do have, does your life-story so far say what you want it to say? Are
you, in fact, living the best version of your life possible? If the answer is
no, you’ve got work to do. If the answer is yes, you still have work to do
because life is also about growth, so if you are alive there is still more you
can do and experience.
Those who are the most successful in life tend to
pause periodically to see where they’re at before moving on. They ask
themselves questions about what they want out of life, if they’re doing what
they want to do, if they’re where they want to be. And, they do so regularly.
They tend to throw a virtual dart out to the end of the year, then pinpoint key
benchmarks during the year, quarterly, monthly, even weekly, to make sure
they’re going to get to where they want to go.
So as this year comes to a close and before you put
pen to paper to write down your goals for 2014, don’t let this be just another
year of same ‘ol, same ‘ol. You are blessed! Take your blessings and run! There
will be challenges, there are unknowns yet to be discovered but re-locate your passion for your dreams
and move towards them. You made it to see another revolution of the earth
around the sun. Yaay! You owe it to yourself to take hold of that opportunity
alone to fuel your fire and discover your full potential. When you sit at this
time next year, let the story of your life fit the vision you create for
yourself today.
Be amazing!
