12 30 10 Step by Step: Reflections of the Past While Stepping into the New Year

Dear Readers:
At this time of the year you may find yourself looking at the past as you wonder about the future. As you take time to ponder, be gentle on yourself and remember your victories during the year while gleaning the wisdom from losses or difficult times. It is easy to fall into the negative pattern of revealing what you may see as defeats and traumas leading into the trap of hopelessness and despair. Melancholy can be a wonderful space that allows deep introspection when reviewing your experiences while taking the time to connect deeply to your psyche and view those experiences that have had a profound affect on you. Besides looking at the year, it is a good time to review your entire life and complete an inventory on where you are as well as where you want to go in the future. This inventory allows you to honor losses, glean wisdom and change parts of your life that may not be beneficial to you while strengthening areas that are gratifying to you. You may find other areas where you can stretch your comfort zone in order to grow and open up actions or emotions that may not feel comfortable yet, but in the long run will allow you more happiness in your life. It is similar to a business completing their end of the year inventory to clean out the shelves, restock as well as choose what will be beneficial in the future for progress. As you glean this wisdom and realize there are some actions you may wish to change within yourself be gentle and try to remember that small steps can produce more mileage than complete makeovers that may set you up for failure rather than growth. As you reflect on losses in your life you may wish to remember what that loss gave to you before it disappeared. In honoring the life and lessons, you can grow and allow the loss to become your teacher and live within you by allowing its true essence to shine from your actions and allow you to heal and prosper as well. As 2010 comes to an end I hope you will take the time to do your inventory, clean up areas and actions that do not work for you and step into 2011 with simple and gentle steps of New Year resolutions that are attainable and growth oriented. Celebrating humanness and realizing that you are a work in progress can allow you permission to realize your process is not perfect and that you can continually learn and grow by honoring losses, celebrating life and having the bravery to look within and let your true essence shine out into the world. Honoring losses and gleaning the lessons can allow your wisdom, love and strength to be the inspiration and momentum for a better future for you and others. Here’s wishing you a wondrous and conscious New Year. Until next time, take care.