New Year, New Beginning
With each New Year comes the opportunity for all of us to embrace a brand new beginning. Whether 2011 was good for you or not, you can now choose to draw a line under it, assign it to the mental compartment marked ‘The Past’ and leave it alone. With that decision made, you can then focus the whole of your attention on making this year even better than the last, and here are a few ways in which you can start doing just that…
Be Mindful of Mortality
First, be mindful of the fact that life itself is a terminal condition, and that none of us will ever get out alive. Whilst many people try to avoid thinking about their mortality as much as possible, staring the fact of eventual death square in the face and accepting it can be a very good way of getting some perspective in life. So start by reminding yourself that all of us have a limited lifespan, and that none of us really know how many more days, months or years we have left.
Set New Priorities
Having reminded yourself of your own mortality, set new priorities for your life based on how you think you would like to spend whatever time you have left. Perhaps you would like to give more of your time, attention and efforts to other people, or to a specific good cause that is important to you. Maybe you think it would be appropriate for you to overcome an addiction to time-wasting activities and invest that time in more fruitful endeavours instead. It could be that you would like to finally write that book you keep thinking about, or learn to speak a foreign language or play a musical instrument. Whatever the case, decide to make the pursuit of your chosen objectives a new priority in your life.
Renew Your Commitment
Our third piece of advice is for you to renew your commitment to your own path of spiritual and personal development. Whether you follow a designated spiritual path or you learn from a variety of traditions, consider doing so with a fresh sense of commitment and enthusiasm. Personal development practices such as meditation, mindfulness, generosity and so on can all become good habits that give your life structure and meaning, so be sure to make the most of them.
We hope that these ideas help you to make a new beginning in 2012, and for our part we intend to provide you with a brand new selection of articles and tutorials which will encourage you along the way. Happy New Year!
