Preparations

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As the end of the year is approaching, there are all kinds of preparations going on…
Preparations for the Holidays; getting the decorations all in place, stocking up on candles; for the big dinner with family and friends… And then there is the New Year’s celebration that needs preparing for. And if you would wish to do so you can even prepare a list of resolutions for that magical date: January 1st.

With all the things that need to get done this year ~ things like finishing up work related items, getting the books in order etc. ~ and the preparations for the year end celebrations, it is easy to find yourself so busy that this other ‘turning point’ goes by almost unnoticed: the return of the light; the Winter solstice.

As far as preparations go, this may be the most important moment within the last ten days of the year. The ‘return of the light’ starts a period of turning inward, of examining what we have accomplished over the past year as well as looking at which things we would like to achieve in the year to come ~ and how we want to go about actually achieving those goals.
Those last ten days of the year, starting with the Winter solstice and going up to New Years Day when we state our New Years resolutions, are without question the best ten days for preparation ~ preparing ourselves for the year ahead.

The things to keep in mind when we prepare ourselves for what lies ahead are:
Choose as your goals the things you really desire, yet keep your goals realistic. In other words, set goals that as you work towards them, you will achieve.
Create a structure through which achieving your goals becomes easier. For instance, if your goal is to finally lose those ten pounds, find friends who will support you in doing so ~ or perhaps even friends who also want to lose some weight so you can reach your goals together.
Come up with a clear ‘milestone’ at which you recognize that you have reached the goals you set out to achieve.

Just like the Christmas dinner shopping list can get bigger and bigger as it is laying on the counter ~ so too can the list of our goals for the next year grow longer and longer. As this happens it is important we don’t set ourselves up for a continuous ‘overwhelm situation’ that lasts a year and makes reaching our goals harder than it needs to be ~ we are often better off choosing three goals: a personal or ‘inner’ goal, a work related goal, and a goal that either has to do with education, or with the way we experience and express our spirituality.

We know that preparing for the Holidays makes them even better!
And it is the same way with preparing ourselves for our next year…
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