We have another New Beginning ahead of us.  But I don’t see a boundary between 2012 and 2013.  Do you?   Except, of course, there is one on the calendar!

However, this is a good time to pause.   The three simple questions to ask are:

What should I stop doing?   Unless there is ‘space’ in your life, the next question is meaningless.

What should I start doing?  We need to continuously stretch ourselves, build new pathways so that we continue learning.  There is no room for complacency.

What should I continue doing?  Often we are so enchanted by the ‘stop’ and ‘start’ that we forget the importance of continuity.

And it is not only at a time like this that we should ask these three questions.  For example, we teach our small children that is important to complete the race they started, regardless of how well or how badly they are doing.  They need to continue swimming, start thinking positively and stop worrying about the impact of their (poor) performance.  Sometimes it may seem easier just to ‘give up’.

I often think about the ‘cork bobbing in the ocean’.  It has no impact on the direction it will take.  The external elements dictate its future.  It may one day get washed up on a beautiful beach.  But the sun will eat into it, the sand will bury it and a dog may even come and chew at it.

Compare that with a ship heading towards a specific destination.  It may hit rough waters, but we all have to be prepared to take risks in life in order to establish new pathways, have meaning in our lives.  As they say, ‘the safest place for a ship is in the harbour, but that is not what it is built for’

I trust that 2013 will be a year filled with good health, great happiness, peace and prosperity.  Take the risks that will head you in the right direction.  Be prepared to sometimes not be the best swimmer in that race.  But please, please make sure your life has meaning, that you are living your ‘authentic self’ and ‘making the world a better place for everyone’.

You are not a ‘cork in the ocean’.  What do you need to Stop doing, Start doing and Continue doing? 

Warm wishes,

Brenda