“The new year stands before us like a chapter in a book, waiting to be written”
Melody Beattie
For many of us, the last chapter written in our book was a bizarre story with more twists and turns, more ups and downs than any amusement park ride.
Looking back, I often ask myself…Did that really happen?
Well, if anything, 2020 definitely wasn’t boring.
It’s easy to look at recent and current events through a lens of hopelessness, negativity and despair, but that is not the reality we have to choose. In fact if you change your perspective to seek out the good that has come out of the past year, things start to look a little brighter.
Remember the 99 year old British veteran, who completed 100 laps of his garden, raising $30 million for UK’s NHS, what a wonderful story.
Locally, we had young people offering to go shopping for the elderly and more vulnerable in our community, delivering them essential groceries and medications during the more dangerous times. It gives me goosebumps to think that there are such caring and generous people in our community, and in particular in the younger generations.
This instils hope that we live in a society that isn’t just every man for himself and can be a catalyst for a more positive outlook for all of us.
What positive things can you recall from last year? We’ll be sharing some reflections in our Facebook group if you’d like to join us?
Although I’m not one to make a new year resolution each year, I find that it is helpful to have a moment of reflection, dust myself off and to re-calibrate my focus.
To focus on the positive is not denial of the negative.
It is simply accepting it for what it is, but making the conscious choice to shift your focus to the incredible beauty that is all around us.
This paradigm shift or re-frame towards gratitude and appreciation of what was, what is and what could be opens our minds and hearts to a positive future and a resounding sense of joy.
Training your mind to see positivity takes time as we are hardwired to seek out negativity. So practice this, for every negative thought you have try to respond to it with two positive thoughts. It will take some practice, but you can do it.
So, 2021 is here in all it’s glory.
How will you choose to look at it?
Remember, we are all part of a community, locally, nationally and globally — the human race,
and as cliched as it sounds, we really are all in this together.
Be kind to yourself, make healthier choices, be kind to others, help out where you can, seek help when you need it, learn something new, start a new hobby, collect in your thoughts the true beauty of life, and let’s enjoy this next year together.
Be the hero in your story!
