Reflections

This time of year is pretty amazing.  After the hustle-bustle of Christmas, now is the time to slow down and reflect on the past year.  Every year I make a double-list entry in my journal.  On the left side I list the “Good” and on the right side I list the “Bad” of my year.

Rarely do I list world or political events, but rather the events in my own life that make me think about what was good, so that I can remember to have gratitude, and what was bad, so that I can fix, remember, honor or cope/grieve.

I won’t be making my lists on the blog post, however.  The Bad is just too personal- even though I try to put myself out there-  I just can't. And listing only the Good would sound like a goopy Christmas letter. So.

What I want to say here today is that we all have some really  Good and some really Bad and a lot of in between in our lives.  That’s life, right?  But what is most important, what makes all the difference, is how you handle yourself- your issues, your failures, your accomplishments, and your graces. That’s the reason I make my list (and why I write in a journal); it helps me look at everything that life brings- it helps me deal.

Here are a few of my journals.

I like to find meaningful quotes

and write them down.

      "life is change.

      growth is optional.

      choose wisely."

Along with my Good and Bad list, I always create a Goals for the New Year list.  I think it’s important to think critically, yet optimistically.   There’s a saying: ‘life is what happens while you’re making plans’—and that’s true, but make plans anyway.  Life will still happen, but with some plans in place, things will go better.  A couple of my goals for this year are to plant a garden (not new) and to harvest and preserve as much as I can from that garden(new).  I also want to eat right and be strong and healthy (not new).  Some of my goals repeat every year, while some are new goals.

I have found that listing goals and dreams and ideas help them to come true.  Give it a try today.  Write down some attainable goals—maybe even write a plan of how to achieve them- and give it a whorl!!  

Here’s to a peaceful, productive 2016.

As always, be good to yourself.

Nadine