Renewal - that's a
pretty strong theme in life at this time of year. Hopes, aspirations, dreams
and reflections seem to almost force themselves into our minds. It's easy for
me to get cynical about this. The list of broken new year resolutions is
endless and the whole process comes around again all too quickly. Dismissing
this annual flood of hopes and reflections can seem like the rational thing to
do.
I try to resist being this cynical at new year because hope
for a good year ahead seems to me a healthy hope to dwell on. It also seems a
good idea to have a time in the year where we particularly take stock of things.
The speed and complexity of modernity can squeeze out time for reflection - time to ask the profound questions like 'is
my life fulfilling?', or 'am I making the most of my life?' , or 'does my life
express my values - what I really believe to be important?'.
If nothing else reflecting on our life at new year is a precious
opportunity to renew our purpose - to reconnect with our values - to affirm the
choices we have made - injecting perhaps some much needed vision into the
day-to-day. If we go too long without doing this the danger is that we forget the
very things that animate our lives - leaving a peculiarly empty feeling - a 'what's the point?' kind of feeling.
I'm going to make a point of allowing some time to follow
this annual inclination to reflect on life. Maybe over a quiet coffee at home,
or out on a walk in nature. The landscape seems to assist these hopes, aspirations, dreams and reflections in welling up into clearer forms. Another way is to dialogue with a friend or partner. Sometimes it takes the act of trying to articulate these reflection to bring clarity to them.
On the other hand, if you are fed up of the cycle of broken resolutions and would like some support with this process, our Focusing and Dialogical Mentoring provide just the right kind of context for this work. In these sessions we listen, empathize and make the occasional suggestion. Like being in front of a mirror we reflect you back. In this way you can achieve a degree of clarity about your life that you might otherwise find difficult to reach.
One way or another I hope you also, like me, manage to find some time to reflect, renew and reconnect at the turn of the year and that this brings you a greater sense of purpose and enthusiasm for life.
