A Happy New Year All Year Long.
The turning of the new year is an invitation to reflect upon what was, what is, and your intentions–what you want your life to be. The results you will create are based in your original thought. When you are counting down the seconds and yelling out “Happy New Year,” remember you actually get to live your life, happily.
To get on the right path to achieving happiness this year, let’s keep in mind two concepts-perfection and practice. Focusing on perfection is limiting and punishing, focusing on practice leads to growth and expansion.
There is a point when my clients get a puzzled look on their face as they realizeperfection and self-discovery mix like oil and water. Underneath that look is the thought I am no good at creating what I want, because look, I keep “messing up.” Then I share with them a story about the Dalai Lama, how he, just like you and I, veers off course, except his interpretation of it does not stifle his expansion. He practices returning to the present moment, which is truly the only place one can be.
The Dalai Lama was speaking at a university in upstate New York. During the question and answer section, an audience member chastised himself for getting distracted during mediation. “I have so much mind chatter when try to meditate, I can’t do it right.”
In his unique style of humor and wisdom, His Holiness expressed how appropriate the question was that particular day, because just that morning, during his sitting, he noticed how his thoughts were a distraction. He explained he was sitting in the dark, at 5 am, like he has practiced since a little boy, breathing and meditating. Then, out of nowhere, he started thinking about how much traffic was going to be on the highway that day, and that perhaps he should have the car service come 15-20 minutes earlier. After sharing this, he looked out over the 30,000 people in the stadium, smiled, and said, “And I’m His Holiness, the Dalai Lama!” His belly laugh rippled out over the crowd as they roared in laughter too. Then, this self-professed simple monk responded with the key takeaway here: “I just noticed it, and let it fall away. I returned to my breathing, my meditation. That is the practice. So I suggest to you, simply return to your practice.”
Sage advice. There was no sense of messing up, doing it wrong, being bad, or not good enough. There is no perfect! It is simply the practice of closing the gap between drifting, noticing, and presencing again. This, too, has been a touchstone of my learning, and believe me, I can recount some real life doozies this past year. All of those experiences make up who I am, and become a foundation for my learning and expansion. I say yeah to that!
So, as 2011 comes to an end and 2012 begins, and you reflect on what was, what is, and your intentions–what you want your life to be, focus on practice and simply returning to the present moment. Ask yourself “now what?” and don’t get caught up on setbacks or imperfections. In this moment include wonder, curiosity, and small action steps into your expansion practice. Get committed to that. Don’t forget to make that self-discovery easy and fun. It can be a Happy New Year all year long.
Until next time, may your life be filled with clarity and joy.
Blessings,
Andrew