1. Learn our lessons
So much happens in the course of a day, a month, and a year, yet often, we don't take the necessary time to reflect and process the events we have experienced and the emotions we have felt. We bury them without processing them or learning from them and we miss the opportunity to grow personally, emotionally, and spiritually. We set ourselves us to repeat the lesson and the pain when we do this.
2. Heal our Hurting Soul
Reflection offers us an opportunity to heal our souls. Our souls are here to learn, to grow, and to heal. If we don't learn the lessons, we are doomed to repeat the same scenarios over and over. We won't move forward in life and we won't have the joy of seeing our dreams come true. We must learn the lessons at hand before we can move forward. Every hurt, every challenge, every difficulty is an opportunity for us to grow and heal our souls.
So much happens in the course of a day, a month, and a year, yet often, we don't take the necessary time to reflect and process the events we have experienced and the emotions we have felt. We bury them without processing them or learning from them and we miss the opportunity to grow personally, emotionally, and spiritually. We set ourselves us to repeat the lesson and the pain when we do this.
2. Heal our Hurting Soul
Reflection offers us an opportunity to heal our souls. Our souls are here to learn, to grow, and to heal. If we don't learn the lessons, we are doomed to repeat the same scenarios over and over. We won't move forward in life and we won't have the joy of seeing our dreams come true. We must learn the lessons at hand before we can move forward. Every hurt, every challenge, every difficulty is an opportunity for us to grow and heal our souls.
3. Take Personal Responsibility
I've come to realize that no one else is holding me back except me. It is my failure to learn the spiritual and emotional lessons before me that keeps me stuck. We can blame our parents, our bosses, the Democrats, or God but the truth is, we alone are responsible for where we are in life. When we keep ourselves too busy, we don't leave time to process our days or reflect on our behaviors and emotions. Our choices determine our destiny. When we make time to be still and reflect, the answers will come. The truth reveals itself. "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." (John 8:32).
4. Gain Clarity.
Decisions become more and more important the older we get. They also get harder. Each decision moves us either forward or keeps us stuck. It is important to reevaluate our beliefs and our values every so often and the new year is a perfect time to do so. We change. What we once may have considered important may not be so important today. The people we associated with yesterday might not be who we want to hang with today. Reflection is like a GPS that shows us the route ahead. I've heard it said "If you don't know where you're going, any path will get you there."
5. Choose Faith over Fear
I have found that fear keeps me stuck and faith moves me forward. It is easy to stay in our comfort zones, doing the same thing and being miserable. Fear keeps us from changing. Faith is the fuel that moves us forward in life. It motivates us to take action and to step out of our comfort zones. We must have faith not only in God, but in ourselves and others. We are each equipped with everything we need to be successful and happy in this life. It is up to us to take action to get there. "Faith without works is dead". (James 2:26).
As the years go by, I want to have more joy, more peace, more fulfillment and more fun - don't you? But first we have to clean up the messes we all have in our lives.
For Reflection
Get a journal. A spiral notebook will do the job just fine. Journaling our thoughts and emotions helps us to get in touch with our thoughts, feelings, fears, dreams and desires. It is a private process we don't have to share with anyone else. It is healthy to get our emotions - especially the negative ones -out on paper otherwise they get stuck in our minds and bodies. Emotions are energy and we only want positive energy in both.
Here are a few questions to get you started in your quiet time:
What did I do that made me feel happy this year?
What brought me joy?
What happened that made me sad, stressed, or anxious?
Who did I enjoy spending time with?
Who would I rather spend less time with?
What activities brought forth fruit?
What activities are no longer bearing fruit?
What did I learn this year?
What new skills or habits did I develop?
What goals did I achieve that made me feel good about myself?
What projects would I like to be involved in next year?
What one goal would I like to see become reality in the New Year?
The answers to these questions will determine our destiny for the next year and possibly longer. Give careful time and thought to answering them. Don't overthink. Simply write down whatever pops into your head. If an answer doesn't come readily, move on to the next question. Some need time to percolate.
You'll notice that most of these questions are "I" related. Often we tend to do things to please other people - our parents, our boss, our spouse - but neglect what makes us truly happy. It is great to be of service to others, which is one of the reasons I write this blog, but it also makes me happy. It's a win-win.What about you?
Lastly, I want to thank you for being a member of this community and for reading my blog posts. I hope they have encouraged, inspired, and motivated you to be the best you can be. I wish you a spectacular 2021 and may this be the year you catapult into your DESTINY!
If you enjoyed this post and would like to join our community and receive my weekly posts, enter your email in the box provided. You'll also receive a copy of my free e-guide "7 Steps to Finding Your Spiritual Path".
Stay tuned for more practical and positive wisdom to help you ignite the power within!
Keep looking up!
Ariel Paz
I've come to realize that no one else is holding me back except me. It is my failure to learn the spiritual and emotional lessons before me that keeps me stuck. We can blame our parents, our bosses, the Democrats, or God but the truth is, we alone are responsible for where we are in life. When we keep ourselves too busy, we don't leave time to process our days or reflect on our behaviors and emotions. Our choices determine our destiny. When we make time to be still and reflect, the answers will come. The truth reveals itself. "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." (John 8:32).
4. Gain Clarity.
Decisions become more and more important the older we get. They also get harder. Each decision moves us either forward or keeps us stuck. It is important to reevaluate our beliefs and our values every so often and the new year is a perfect time to do so. We change. What we once may have considered important may not be so important today. The people we associated with yesterday might not be who we want to hang with today. Reflection is like a GPS that shows us the route ahead. I've heard it said "If you don't know where you're going, any path will get you there."
5. Choose Faith over Fear
I have found that fear keeps me stuck and faith moves me forward. It is easy to stay in our comfort zones, doing the same thing and being miserable. Fear keeps us from changing. Faith is the fuel that moves us forward in life. It motivates us to take action and to step out of our comfort zones. We must have faith not only in God, but in ourselves and others. We are each equipped with everything we need to be successful and happy in this life. It is up to us to take action to get there. "Faith without works is dead". (James 2:26).
As the years go by, I want to have more joy, more peace, more fulfillment and more fun - don't you? But first we have to clean up the messes we all have in our lives.
For Reflection
Get a journal. A spiral notebook will do the job just fine. Journaling our thoughts and emotions helps us to get in touch with our thoughts, feelings, fears, dreams and desires. It is a private process we don't have to share with anyone else. It is healthy to get our emotions - especially the negative ones -out on paper otherwise they get stuck in our minds and bodies. Emotions are energy and we only want positive energy in both.
Here are a few questions to get you started in your quiet time:
What did I do that made me feel happy this year?
What brought me joy?
What happened that made me sad, stressed, or anxious?
Who did I enjoy spending time with?
Who would I rather spend less time with?
What activities brought forth fruit?
What activities are no longer bearing fruit?
What did I learn this year?
What new skills or habits did I develop?
What goals did I achieve that made me feel good about myself?
What projects would I like to be involved in next year?
What one goal would I like to see become reality in the New Year?
The answers to these questions will determine our destiny for the next year and possibly longer. Give careful time and thought to answering them. Don't overthink. Simply write down whatever pops into your head. If an answer doesn't come readily, move on to the next question. Some need time to percolate.
You'll notice that most of these questions are "I" related. Often we tend to do things to please other people - our parents, our boss, our spouse - but neglect what makes us truly happy. It is great to be of service to others, which is one of the reasons I write this blog, but it also makes me happy. It's a win-win.What about you?
Lastly, I want to thank you for being a member of this community and for reading my blog posts. I hope they have encouraged, inspired, and motivated you to be the best you can be. I wish you a spectacular 2021 and may this be the year you catapult into your DESTINY!
If you enjoyed this post and would like to join our community and receive my weekly posts, enter your email in the box provided. You'll also receive a copy of my free e-guide "7 Steps to Finding Your Spiritual Path".
Stay tuned for more practical and positive wisdom to help you ignite the power within!
Keep looking up!
Ariel Paz
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