And So This Is Christmas

And so this is Christmas and what have we done another year over and a new one just begun?

Life is a never ending continuing cycle and the past is not behind us but lived with us until we heal, change, grow, learn and evolve. Thinking that the strike of midnight on New Years Eve will alter anything is a falsehood of hope that allows us to live irresponsibly in the notion that things will be different. That how we lived the past 12 months, years or lives does not matter, that it is wiped away by the ticking of the clock. This is not the case – how often do situations, events or history have to repeat itself before we admit that unless we change things stay the same. Yes they may be dressed in different clothes, or played out in different relationships, with different people but in essence it is the same scenario over and over until we get it, evolve and alter our quality.

By all means set goals for next year, reflect on this one but get honest about what you need to heal, let go of and resolve otherwise 2017 will just be a repeat of 2016 with a slightly different flavour.

Reflecting On The Year So Far

Sorry to sound cliched but wow has the time gone fast! It seems only a couple of weeks ago that it was Christmas and we were talking about our resolutions for the New Year. Then all of sudden Easter has been and gone and we are a third of the way through the allotted 12 months of 2013 and those resolutions have often long since been forgotten.

Recently I had the pleasure of spending time with many of my friends from overseas on a retreat when one lady asked me how my wishes for the year were going. This made me stop and reflect that now was a good time to reassess and refine my choices.

So I took the time to return to my list and make some observations:

Tone my body and build some muscles back – been gently working out at home and having more protein, my body is feeling stronger and leaner. There is quite a way to go yet but I am in not hurry as there is no need to push or drive my body to be or look at certain way.

Join a gym and perhaps go more than once – not happened yet as I could feel my body was not ready for such exertion and actually needed recuperating and rebuilding after a very intense period of my life.

Spend more quality time with my family– big tick in this box, we schedule family weekends in our diary now and do not plan anything else for these days, in fact we fit our social life around these dates rather than trying to squeeze a free weekend in between everything else. Family weekends do not involve rushing here, there and everywhere but taking time to share meals, cook together, go for walks, chat, play, watch DVDs and enjoy one another’s company.

Become a better boss, lead by example and mentor more – have shown improvement in this area with more staff training and taking time to support my team where they need it rather than trying to micromanage and control the way they work. I want to bring out their skills, let them shine and have input to the way we work.

Say what I’m feeling rather than expecting people to read my mind – expressing and communicating what is there to be said at the time it needs to be said rather than bottling it up and getting frustrated. This process becomes easier and more natural the more I allow it. I may not always get it right but at least I know that and can learn from my mistakes. It is actually very freeing to say what I’m feeling and I notice the more I do it the more others are open to hearing what I have to say and how they feel comfortable to express themselves as well.

Nurture myself – this is now something I apply in everything I do, from my posture to the clothes I wear, how I prepare for my day, my meals, hot baths with Epsom salts and lavender, learning to start from love and put that love into all that I do; rather than doing things so then I can stop and be love once they are completed. There is always room to go deeper with this.

Work on eating only when I am truly hungry – now this has been interesting as in hindsight I am going to re imprint this one to be “feel when I need to eat and what is needed to support my body”. I have realised that sometimes I don’t feel hungry and therefore I didn’t eat. But had I felt what was needed then I would have seen that my body was actually very depleted and in need of rebuilding and thus I needed to be eating more and more simply. I had fallen in a to a mentality that if my tummy wasn’t grumbling I didn’t need to eat when in reality my body needed more support to withstand the pressures I had been working and living under. So now I am having more protein, supporting my body with additional minerals and supplements and drinking much more water.

Be deeply caring of myself and others – this falls under a similar umbrella to being nurturing but with being caring comes a deeper understanding and clarity about myself and other people

Work smarter – this has been interesting, by managing my time wisely, nurturing and caring for myself I have more energy and focus which allows me to work in a rhythm with my body. In this way I understand what is a priority and what can wait instead of trying to get it all done in one go.

Do more writing – if you have been following this blog it may appear that I have been doing less writing, however I have been writing copious amounts for my dental blog, talks and other projects which I felt needed my attention

Start podcasts – I bought a microphone and have some ideas but haven’t actually got this off the ground yet – that’s fine there are 7 more months left in this year!

Relax, take things slower, pause for breath and savour the moment – a very important part of developing a rhythm with myself has been to stop and smell the roses and boy oh boy they smell sweet! I find when I am in the moment my body and breathing naturally relax and find their own rhythm leaving me feeling full of energy and ready for the next thing that comes my way.

Make new connections and cherish the ones I already have – I have deeply enjoyed sharing more time with friends and family and building new relationships. By meeting new people I get to learn about myself, deal with any issues that come up and evolve as a human being.

Accept myself for who I am despite my faults and flaws – lovely to see that I am beautiful, precious and gorgeous and actually very amazing – and so are you!

Marvel at the amazingness of the untapped potential that lies deep inside us all just waiting to burst out. – magic is all around us we simply have to take the time to acknowledge it, appreciate it and let the magic that is within us come out.

Have lots of fun along the way! – haven’t laughed so much in ages, playfulness and silliness is quite contagious.

How have your New Years resolutions played out and what have you learnt about yourself along the way? I would love to hear about it.

Wishing it Could Be Christmas Everyday

Christmas is such a special time of year, families and people come together; sharing time, food, gifts and each other. Strangers wish each other Merry Christmas when they pass in the street or the shops. People feel more open, connected and generally more upbeat. There is a tangible sense of optimism and also relief at having made it through the year as now we can take a break, let off some steam and celebrate the holidays.

Christmas is the season of joy, love and goodwill to all men.

However, the qualities of Christmas and the essence of it will not be found in the boxes and gifts under the tree, in the parties we throw or the food and drink we consume but in the love that we put into those things.

The essence of Christmas is found in the heart shaped box in the centre of your chest and the biggest gift you could give this year would be to unwrap it and allow the joy, love and goodwill that is naturally there to be shared and celebrated not just on Christmas Day but everyday.

It’s That Time of Year

It’s that time of year when we tend to go a little crazy, over indulge, fall out with family and loved ones, put ourselves under pressure, feel stressed and expect everything to be perfect. All in the name of having a great Christmas.

It is also a time where many people choose to reflect and plan for the future, making impossible to keep New Years Resolutions that are doomed to fail only a matter of days into January.

And yet every year it’s the same we repeat these same patterns, behaviours and choices over and over under the illusion that somehow this time it will be better, different and turn out the way we imagined.

It’s madness, why do we do it to ourself? How about if we treated Christmas just like any other day? What would that look like? Perhaps a simple family gathering sharing food, time, love and each other. Sure have some presents but give simply and from your heart. Give yourself permission to let go of perfection, expectations and the need to put yourself under pressure. How about making the focus on having fun and being together – now wouldn’t that be refreshing?!

And as for New Years Resolutions like loosing weight, getting fitter etc. Forget them …..

Just choose to live in a way that truly cares for you based on what you feel works for you and your body and don’t be afraid to experiment, learn and change the rules as you and your body change and you become more familiar with yourself.

Be gentle with your body, give it quality sleep, nutritious foods, plenty of water, keep it active, meditate, be joyful, enjoy your friends, family and people in general. Love life and love you for all that you are. Be healthy, be yourself.