I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year

‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’

And he replied,

‘Go into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God

That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way!’

~M.L.Harkins

As we say goodbye to 2015, let us all give thanks for the priceless lessons we have learnt. Some have been good, some great, and others perhaps quite challenging, and not so wonderful. Some taught us by our family, some by our friends, and others by our circumstances. Some have been life changing and others have been rich and experiential and have helped us rise to show up in a better light in this world. Nonetheless all have been thrown our way when we have least expected them.

It is true, that every relationship and every event comes into our lives to help us grow. We yearn for acceptance and simplicity but struggle to find it. We ache for love, the genuine kind, but are challenged. Or having found it we cannot seem to sustain it.

Sitting quietly on this New Year’s Eve in the comfort of my home, with soft music in the background, I am able to clear my mind as one by one I go through the events that have transpired and the questions that have haunted me. Reflecting on the year that has gone by, and as I review, evaluate and appreciate everything and every person that has crossed my path, I am able to be at peace and give closure.

I know now, even though I have looked for reasons and the answers to the most complex events and challenges, there are no right answers. The exercise was just to give me an idea of what my soul has ‘insperienced’ and what it has yet to ‘experience’. Perhaps it is not important any longer to find out the reasons for all the happenings. The past is the past. Nothing I can think of, do, agonize over, is going to help bring me the focus and the clarity I have craved for. Nothing matters now.

By reconciling my past and changing my present, my future will take care of itself. I will live one day at a time, focus on being the best I can daily and give it my all, and without fail tomorrow will be as I envision it to be. Taking charge of my life I can now ask myself the following questions as I wrap up this year:

*What things of value have I learnt?

*What have my relationships taught me?

*What have been my biggest mistakes, and what have I learnt from them to enable me    to move forward without repeating them again?

*What do I need to let go of?

*Is there anyone I need to forgive, including myself?

*What have been my most inspiring moments of 2015 and what have they taught me?

*What fears have I faced head on in 2015 and what have I learnt from those fears?

In looking toward the New Year, these are the questions I ask myself:

*What will make me feel most alive and give me most joy and happiness?

*What would I love to attract to my life in this coming year and how can I go about achieving that?

*What are my goals and aims for 2016 and what do I need to do to achieve these?

*What do I need to say ‘no’ to, and what would I like to say ‘yes’ to this year?

*How can I transform my fears into hope and excitement in this new year?

*How can I create a positive mindset to steer me to achieve all of the above?

*What is the direction and the path of work and relationships in the coming year that will contribute to my happiness?

Closing my eyes now and visualizing the kind of world I would like to see, one that would allow me to experience utmost joy, I go inside and feel my every dream and every goal as having already been achieved, and I thank the Divine for Guidance and blessings as He leads me moment to moment, with every breath that I take. I affirm to myself now with these phrases:

I Am Enough.

I Am more than enough.

Everything is always working out for me for the highest good of all concerned.

All is well in my world.

I am meant to shine.

I matter.

I can do it!

And so, goodbye 2015. You have been good to me and for that I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

As I welcome 2016 I am committed to meeting myself in a new light, and pledge to do the following:

*I will watch the sunset every night with gratitude for a day well lived.

*I will live from a place of ‘curiosity’ rather than trying to ‘control’ each outcome.

*I will value myself, and my needs, as long as they are authentic and bring me peace

*I will look at each task as a spectacular opportunity to create my most amazing life.

*I will come from a place of generosity, and never from a place of scarcity in my   dealings with everyone in my life, including myself.

*Even if the people in my life throw rocks at me, I will persevere to do what is right, and trust that the truth always wins.

*I will continue to do good without expecting anything in return.

*I will work on my happiness.

*I will not pay any attention to naysayers and just keep on keeping on. I will stay in the game.

*In all things that I do, and in dealing with all people, I will come from a place of love, and never from a place of fear.

*I will be good to my body, treat it as the temple of the holy God, which it is. I will exercise and nourish it daily.

*I will continue to persevere on the tasks assigned me by the Divine in doing the special things that have made me special, and push even more passionately to be better than the best.

*I will continue to innovate and never to be complacent in the illusion of safety.

*At all times I will give so much love to myself that I can overflow and share it with others.

*I will remind myself at all times and through all challenges that the Universe is a friendly place and has my back.

*I will maintain my gratitude journal as it allows me to relive the beauty of my life every single day.

*I will continue to practice meditation each morning upon awaking so that I may be guided to be the best that I can each single day.

*I will detox all clutter from my mind, my surroundings and my relationships.

*I will develop positive habits so that the quality of my life improves

*I will allow my mind to focus on strengths and accomplishments, rather than weaknesses and setbacks.

*I will focus on building important friendships, and make every effort to cultivate them into lasting and loving ones

*I will surround myself with people who only see the good and the potential in me

*I will be brave enough to recognize and ease out of toxic relationships that are holding me back from my authentic self

*I will simplify my life and focus only on the things that I love and that matter and that give me value

*I will practice self-love and at all times be compassionate and kind to myself

*I will be mindful to express gratitude to the people in my life and offer them optimism and generosity of spirit

Perhaps I sound a little ambitious in writing this post and sharing my goals. The intention is there and all I can do is pray that God will be my Guide and help me achieve what my heart yearns for.

“I can’t pretend to be a Lion;

able to conquer the enemy.

To master myself would be enough. ~ Rumi

In closing I would like to say how fortunate I feel to have you in my life. I have immense gratitude for you, for this permission to write, to share, to open my heart about the deeper hunger I feel, the poem, the dance, the abundance that I feel, to belong, to forgive, to be free…

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.