Examining This Year Of Your Life

It is human nature to look back over the past year in the calendar sense and think about where we have been, how much we have grown, and where it is that we are going.  Here in the Northeast where I live, it gets dark very early and it gets pretty cold very quick towards the end of the year.  I must admit my thoughts turn toward a toasty fire and snuggling under the covers for a long winters sleep.  While I am laying there shivering, my thoughts turn to next summer’s vacation or perhaps I can escape the Northeast’s winter blast by flying to a warm place with a sandy beach. 

What do you do with your brand new unmarked calendar which is waiting there to be filled up with events, special occations, vacations, graduations, weddings, birthdays, conventions, trips and so on?  When our children were at home, I had a file where I kept all these important dates which rolled over into the next year.  My husband and I made an appointment with each other about three times a year to sync our calendars.  My habit is to take New Year’s Day and to watch football and take it easy and spread all my calendar materials all over the kitchen table and work on the valuable communication piece to our family.

When you look at your calendar with or without your spouse or children in the picture what areas of your life do you do your self examination in?Here are some ideas where you can start. 

*Professional Life

*Career

*Health

*Aging

*Family

*Fun/Enjoyment

*Finances

*Relationships Professional

*Relationships Personal

*Parenting

*Spiritual

*Personal Development

*Community

*Aging Parents or Loved Ones

Isn’t it amazing how many hat we were so effortlessly?  I give you permission to indulge your inner dreaming self and just go there and think deeply about each of these areas of your life.  First come up with a couple of simple questions that will be the foundational questions for each category of your life.  Do not beat yourself up over these.  These are simple such as:  What frustrates you?  What makes you angry?  What or Who pushes your buttons?  Who or What keeps you grounded?  What or Who makes you happy or gives you joy?  Who is in your circle of care? (those are the people who will listen and console and support and get genuine feedback in a positive honoring way).

There will be years when you can really work on several of these areas and other times when circumstances make it difficult.  An example would be when an older parent needs care or a child is in crisis, volunteering may go on the back burner for a season.

The thing to remember is that this is your life and you create the experience that you want to have as you grow through the seasons of your life.  There is a very true saying that:  We fail to realize is that the short term pain, is what gives us the maxi um lifetime gain, whether it is in our professional lives or our personal lives and in our relationships.

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