As we have just said goodbye to the year 2023, it is generally time to look back and make resolutions / goals for the year that begins. There is so much to say about 2023... but if we are completely honest it is the same for 2022, 2021... each year having its share of challenges, pain, crises, violence... I choose not to talk here about what is happening in the world... but rather about our own inner world... As Ghandi said "Be the change you want to see in the world..."
These first days of this new year are a time when the past and the future meet, forming an ideal transition to reflection and planning. However, beyond the traditional, often ephemeral resolutions, I want to talk about the importance of kindness, encounters and inspiration in our journey towards 2024.
The annual review, like a passing exam, offers us the opportunity to revisit the ups and downs of the past year.
What have we accomplished?
What have we learned?
What challenges have we overcome?
What are our victories?
What are we proud of?
What can we improve?
What dreams have we ignored?
What are our lessons?
These questions, although simple, help us learn from our experiences and prepare for what is to come. I usually say to the people I work with: "It's okay if you didn't get it the first time... or the 4th... It's okay if you stumble again. The main thing is to understand why, to look at what we can change to learn and move forward.”
Taking stock is good, but taking stock with kindness towards yourself is better. We all have our moments of weakness, our slackness, our temporary failures, and this should not overshadow our successes. By embracing our mistakes with understanding and celebrating our victories, we can create a space for personal growth.
New Year's resolutions are often formulated with infectious energy, as if a new year is a blank slate, where anything is possible. Yet how many of us actually hold them?
The truth is that life is unpredictable, full of surprises and unexpected challenges. However, that doesn't mean resolutions are useless.
On the contrary, they can serve as a compass, guiding our actions and choices throughout the year. YES to desires, YES to projects, YES to dreams... but NO to the pressure of the list, NO to the dictates of our mind which, in fact, almost always puts us in a position of failure... The main thing is to formulate them with the heart and not with the head and to consider them as evolving objectives rather than rigid rules. Kindness towards is crucial. If a resolution is not reached, it is not a failure, but rather an opportunity for learning and adjustment.
Beyond resolutions and assessments, it is often the encounters and inspirations that color our lives. Each person we meet on our path brings a new perspective, a valuable lesson. Inspirations sometimes arise from the most unexpected moments, from sincere conversations with friends or strangers, from captivating books or even from a simple observation of nature. In 2024, let's embrace these encounters and these inspirations. Let us cultivate caring relationships, share our experiences and be open to diversity of ideas. Because it is often in these exchanges that opportunities for personal and collective growth are born.
So, in these first days of 2024, let's take the time to take stock with kindness, to formulate dreams, desires, like compasses that guide us towards an inner journey, or towards our dreams... Let's accept that they can evolve, just as we evolve ourselves. Let's take the time to open our hearts to encounters and inspirations.
May this new year be marked by personal growth, shared joy and the constant discovery of the beauty, which is found within us and which surrounds us.
May this year 2024 be a year of connection, with ourselves, but also with others... others... Together, let's create a year full of memorable moments and inspiring lessons.
