Pondering Possibilities
Photo courtesy of Peter Oberč
Another year is upon us and it is a perfect time to reflect on the recent past and contemplate the beginning of something new. I have noticed that there seems to be two camps of people in regards to a reflective practice during the December – January time period. There are people who relish thinking about their past year, what happened, the good and bad, and then plotting out some ideas for the future. And there are those who say bah humbug, I don’t need this reflection and I am resolved to not make resolutions.
I think most who embrace an annual review don’t see this process as resolutions at all, or fixing our shortcomings, but more pondering what we learned from where we have been and how we can direct where we are going in the future. One of my favorite meditation guiding teachers, Jonathan Foust, has annually led a workshop on this very topic.
Attending his workshop and also the second year of the Best Year of Your Life (BYOYL) Summit has really propelled forward movement for me. What is the BYOYL Summit? An fabulous offering in January over a 10-day period where 45 speakers share ideas on all kinds of topics from life purpose and vision, to health and well-being, to creating new habits and a life plan. Sounds ambitious right? The format of interviewing experts may not be your thing, but if it is, what a treasure trove of wisdom and advice these knowledgeable people share about their journeys and advice they gained that we can apply to our own lives.
There was so much to learn from BYOYL 2022, but my top ten takeaways that others could easily incorporate into their own new behaviors and patterns are:
Watch more sunrises and sunsets. (Denys Zhadanov)
Use the morning to set your intention for the day. Start each day with the question what can I bring to this day? (Sharon Salzberg)
12 minutes a day of mindfulness will have an impact. (Amishi Jha)
A great daily short gratitude practice: picture a person or situation you are grateful for……and give a thank you….relax…..and then picture the next…. Do this 3 times for in Buddhism we do things in 3s. (James Baraz)
One way to clear the mind is with the box method for breathing: breathe in for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. (Max Strom)
Action changes things. So the only way to figure out what you want, and if you would be satisfied with abundance, is to take action. (Ash Cash Exants)
Just do ONE SMALL STEP to live your life purpose. (Kute Black)
What we can control all happens in the present, so if we are not present we have lost our ability to direct our lives. (Dawa Tarchin Philliips)
Meditation is about consistency not duration. It can start as simple as 16 seconds to build the power of awareness. You can take it from there to what you want it to be. (Davidji)
Tracking how you spend your money is a consciousness tool not a money tool. Ask did this expense take me in the direction of my values, my life energy? Did it make me happy? (Vicki Robin)
Onward to bringing some new practices and perspective into your life!