2009- A Year for Reflection and Growth

With the closing of yet another fast paced year in the online, and physical, world we need to take some time to reflect on what were the good things that we experienced. We need to plan for a great 2010.

1. Enjoying time with family and friends
2. Finding Time Just for Us
3. Feeling Good or Bad in General
4. Did We Achieve Our Goals?
5. Did We Make New Connections?
6. When someone says 2009 to you in 2019, what will you recall about this year?
7. How Was Your Health This Year?
8. What was your private Cameo moment in 2009?
9. What plans do you have to ensure you end 2009 on a high personal note?
10.  Did you have enough money for what you needed in 2009?

Let us explore these a little more:

Are you satisfied with the time you chose to spend with your friends and your family? 

Friends and family can be demanding at times, and we have to make choices about how much time we spend with whom. We need to maximise the quality of this time by choosing wisely. I recommend choose less for duty, and more for pleasure.
Selfish? Yes, but we only have one life that we are sure about, so we should choose not to waste it, and to exercise our divine right to happiness.
Be aware though that sometimes we can neglect important relationships, until it is too late. The relationship silently fades away, or a key figure in our lives, that maybe we wasted time being angry with about something small ( life’s mosquitoes), has passed away.
If you need to reconnect with one, or many people, then this special season of goodwill to all is a great time to do it, before it is too late.

Did you allow yourself enough time in 2009 for the things that you gain personal pleasure from?

The small things that we like to do every day and of course the bigger things we plan.  If you did, congratulations. If you feel you did not have enough personal time, then make a plan to change this in 2010.
We each need time to do the things that give us a sense of joy. Spending time in your garden, shopping for your favourite collectible, drinking your favourite tea at sunset, listening to your favourite CD, playing a sport, pursuing a hobby, playing games – whatever it is you love to do. Sometimes our lives are so hectic, we actually need to schedule time out, in our agendas!
It is essential to feed the flame of your spirit that you have time for you to indulge in whatever you choose. We cannot be happy and with a peace of mind, unless we have time for us.

Did you feel mostly happy this year, or was there a high number of sad or bad days?

Was 2009 essentially a happy year for you. I don’t mean whether you had a dose of lifes’ meteorites, but I do mean how you reacted and handled them. We cannot always control what happens to us, and around us, but we can control how we react. We can ensure that fundamentally we remain positive and happy within ourselves, and proud of the way we came through even adversity.
This can be the biggest challenge anyone ever faces.

An elderly close friend of ours died last year. We visited him in hospital, when he was in the final ward, you know the one none has walked out from before. He was in his final hours. He was lying in bed, all tubed up but conscious. Several friends and his wife were sitting about his bed, the friends were all serious and sighing loudly with nothing to say.
His favourite drink was champagne, so we brought a bottle and to his delight poured a small glass for all. His blood pressure was frighteningly low, so we told his wife to go rent a playboy bunny suit and come back in to get his blood pressure up – the visitors were shocked at our behaviour, our friend was beaming behind his oxygen mask – his grief stricken wife was laughing and hugging him. He began a lot of coughing, but after a massage he calmed and stopped, still smiling.
To our amazement, he had a remission shortly afterwards and was the only person ever to walk out of ‘that final ward’. He had another year of quality time with his beloved wife, and he always said that it was the image of her in a bunny suit that did it! His friends were still upset with us, as they said to him ‘ But what if you had died then?’ He replied   ‘ I would have died laughing and happy!’
He was always a man for humour and making the best of a bad situation. He adored his wife and she him. It was unbearable for us to see someone we loved and respected so much lie there, dying in sadness, misery and darkness. We wanted to react our way, so we did.

4. Did We Achieve Our Goals?

If you did not achieve at least 50% or better, or you did not have goals, then you need to consider what you want from 2010. Otherwise, I promise you will be in the same situation next December, wondering what happened to your year and why you have not gone ahead in your career, your sport, your life or why your bank account still looks very red! Did you have a goal such as better relationships with your kids, family or colleagues? What did you do about improving your skills to achieve this goal?

Well, the good news is 2010 is a new start. A chance to get it right this time. A chance to make your goals even more ambitious, but backed by a plan of how to get there.
Whatever you want to achieve this year, first make a plan. Write it down and keep it. Now what do you need? If it is help then take advice from the experts, read books, go to seminars. Try to notice coincidence and understand how to use it. Ask people for help or referral. Focus on achieving your goals, no matter what distractions are on your path!

Do not accept excuses from yourself, or be encouraged to fail by others who are also not so successful.
It is this simple – if you cannot walk and your goal is to walk to the window – the day you do then you will be successful. It is not about money or fame (although it may be).
So make your plan, commit to your goal, believe in yourself and start the journey.

Are there new people in your circle of acquaintances, colleagues, friends and family? Which of these relationships are you most pleased about? Why? Do they add value to your enjoyment of life? Will they enhance your career? Are they just cool fun to be with?

Plan how in 2010 you will meet and connect with more people, attract interesting positive friends into your life. Perhaps you will travel and understand new cultures, new thought patterns, even people that are very happy and successful with great lifestyles – yet they have less!

Making new connections is a fabulous contributor to growing as a person and having a rich and fulfilling life.

6. When someone says 2009 to you in 2019, what will you recall about this year?

Was 2009 a memorable year? If not, what were the memorable moments?

It is important that each year of our lives mattered to us, for one reason or many. The lessons we learnt, the highs and the lows, the music, the art, the world events.

What you understand now that you will remember in 2019 about this year, are the really important things to focus on and understand as much as possible about now. What did you gain or lose? What will you change, as a consequence, in 2010?

If it was a tough year for you, and your memorable moments are not pleasant, then try and put a positive slant next to each event. What was something positive that did happen, or come out of it? Try and link the two together.

For example the year one of my friends died was a terrible year, as she had suffered so long. So I now remember a particular evening we had together that year that was really fun and special, the things she said, the wisdom she passed on to me. The lovely meal we had together.  How her eyes sparkled with joy that evening. Those two memories are closely linked in my mind when I recall 2000.

Reviewing 2009 as you will see it in ten years is the best way to summarise and capitalise on this years gains and losses. It is also the easiest way to start forgetting some of the mosquitoes that you thought were elephants (the little things that don’t really matter that much, yet maybe they seem a drama now). It is a great time now to forgive and move on.

7. How Was Your Health This Year?

Did you enjoy a great year health wise? If so, think about why and make sure you continue on a path of top class health and fitness.
If not, consider now what you would like to change before you get too far into 2010.

Regardless, you should review your diet, lifestyle, fitness, weight and BMI, and other factors. Ensure that going into the next decade you have enough vitamin and mineral  intake, that the majority of your food is fresh not prepackaged, and that you have the correct elemental balance for a healthy body to sustain you as long as you want to live. There is a wealth of free information on the internet about a healthy and balanced diet, the right amount of exercise for health, have a look and make informed decisions for yourself.

A healthy body is driven by a healthy mind. Too much stress and nervous energy can affect your body. So can negative thought patterns, allowing rubbish to be put into your mind, or listening to negative people talk.
In 2010, you can read, watch and listen to a huge range of material to help you stay motivated and positive. Much of this material is available free through this site and on the internet.

8. What was your private Cameo moment in 2009?

Every year it is nice to single out a special moment to cherish. It can be something humorous, a touching moment with a parent or child, the moment something special and possibly unique happened. It should be encapsulated in a small frame, and remembered like a treasured photo, mini movie or sound clip. It is a moment you will always remember;
You know how people say ‘My life flashed before my eyes’  It will be a set of your cameo moments that you will likely remember as a snapshot of your life on Earth.
In 2009, what was your cameo moment or moments? Treasure them and keep them in a safe place.

You still have some time and some days to make this month, the best month ever! In fact to even be sure this was the best year ever. You still have a few days and hours to do something special, to treat yourself to a display of your own power and sense of worth.
Try and end the year on a high personal note, something you can be proud of and smile at yourself in the mirror in 2010.

Hopefully you did!
Remember what we want, or think we want, and what we need are two different things.
It is also possible to have enough money for the things we want as well. Do you have a plan for your wealth in 2010? For your retirement? For that rainy day when it just is not so good?

If you don’t have a financial plan, then it is time to develop one. A plan that gets you out of debt, and leads you to financial freedom is the type of plan to aim for.
You can get good advice from your bank for a safe and steady plan, or from your independent adviser according to the amount of risk you want to take. It is even worth reading what the experts say on the internet and having a balanced view so you can make choices that please you, regardless of what anyone tells you.
Just make sure you have a plan and stick to it!

One last thing to do, now we have finished our basic review of 2009.

There has never been a better time to resolve any outstanding relationship issues with friends or family. The end of a decade is the time to clean out the cupboard of any cobwebs, and dusty items, and start anew. Forgive, apologise, embrace, understand, walk away or just accept and move forward with only positive and meaningful relationships in your life.

Take time to send that neglected friend a card, or give them a call, and tell them you care!
Every year at this time, I try to connect at least briefly and by whatever means, with everyone that is still important in my life.

It is a time to reflect and appreciate having supportive friends, colleagues and family. Time to tell them they matter to you and thank them for their friendship, there is no greater gift than the hand of friendship acknowledged and shaken.

I wish you a wonderful Holiday Season, and a very successful and happy 2010!