New Year Reboot

Now that we are four days in I feel I must ask you: how are the New Year Resolutions going? I hope that you are still filled with the enthusiasm (or guilt!) that gripped you a few days ago. If not perhaps this will inspire you. I am going to reflect upon my New Year practice, which is not dissimilar to the resolutions, but hopefully is a little more resolute!

It generally starts in mid December when the Unravel document is shared by Susannah Conway. This template first takes you through the year just ending, asking questions about the year’s events, your highs, your lows and everything in between. The second half of the document leads you through your hopes, dreams, expectations and intentions for the next year. In all it is about 30+ pages, all of which may be useful to you – and those that are not you can just skip.

I have now used this process for 4 years. Last year I finally found a way to make it stick beyond the first half of the year. The key is to keep the process alive. Do not just plan how you are going to live the year and then put it away. Commit to reviewing, reflecting and adjusting the plan once a month. This is enough and most importantly it allows you to adjust to the way life throws curve balls at you.

“Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” John Lennon

I finish the plan about now – I am doing this next this morning – and then schedule my To Do list app to remind me at the end of every month to review and adjust for the next few months. Actually, last year I found that it was helpful to only plan the first 6 months in detail and then build up the second half of the year as it drew closer and came into focus.

Practice

I see the whole process throughout the year as another mindful practice: that of paying attention to my life. It supports my daily meditation practice and my weekly mindful photography practice. All of these support me to pay attention to how I am and support how I would like to live.

Just before Christmas the importance of these mindful practices were once again highlighted by a little health wobble. I had taken my eye off the ball. My daily practice had slipped to 4 or 5 days a week and it is at least a month since I last did a mindful photography practice.

Now I am back on track. I have committed to a longer daily meditation practice and completed a mindful photography practice at the weekend. Actually this latest practice, the photos from which decorate this post, was part of a photo tutorial for my partner’s son. Whilst he did the task I had set, I followed the same practice, creating 20 photos in my inimitable abstract style.

2017

And so we commence another year. Much has been made of the nature of the last year in the media, but each year can only be a series of events, happenings, occurrences, births, deaths, elections and so on. It is how we respond, rather than react to these opportunities that matters.

Mindfulness supports your intention to respond skillfully, rather than react from habit. In that intention you then are more connected to how you are physically, emotionally and holistically. This then supports your ability to respond with an engaged mind and heart, making choices that sustain and support yourself and those that you love.

I wish you a New Year that rises to meet your expectations, keeps you engaged with the joy of life and leads you to continue to grow holistically as a human being.