2012 in review

Thanks to everyone that stopped by and read my blog this year! I’ve enjoyed writing, sharing and discussing, and hope for many more posts and conversations in the year ahead. All the best to you now and in 2013!

Here’s a summary of my posts from this year.

Happy New Year!

As the year ends and we reflect on everything that has happened in 2012, I hope that we can look back with satisfaction on a year of learning, successes and failures ready to celebrate the end of one year and greet 2013 with open eyes and hearts.

The end of the year can be a time of new beginnings, but also a time of reflection and building on the foundations we’ve laid until now, and hope to continue to build on in the year ahead.

A recurring theme in the life and writings of the 14th Dalai Lama is the inherent contradiction in seeking to better ourselves for the betterment of others, for the world. It is hard to honestly assess ourselves, but he insists that it is through rigorous personal reflection and discovery that we find who we truly are, the person the world needs, and the path of transition from one to the other.

I hope that as the new year begins, we can find ways to recognize our gifts and talents, where we’re lacking, and make the best use of ourselves for the world.

Today I meditate on who I am, where I am, who I wish to become and where I wish to go. Today I ask myself many things, and hope that it can be a day of self discovery and re-discovery. Today I ask…

• Who am I?
• How do I know this?
• When I was young, what did I want to be? To do?
• How has that changed as I’ve gotten older?
• How did I see the world then? How do I see it now?
• What have I done this year?
• What were my successes? My failures?
• What have I learned?
• What would I do again?
• What would I change?
• What do I hope to achieve in this coming year? In my life? Why?
• How can I make my goals happen?

And as I think of my goals, these are some of the sentences we can try to finish.

This year, I will…

• talk to…
• learn from…
• learn about…
• teach…
• play…
• imagine…
• discover…
• travel to…
• stay home and…
• join…
• leave…
• purchase…
• sell…
• give…
• adopt…
• …with my friends
• …with my family
• …with someone new
• …with an old friend

There are likely many things I’m missing, and many others can fill in.

As 2012 fades and we toast friends, family and the new year, let’s imagine a better year, a better us, and strive every day to make it happen. All the best to you today and in the coming year!