” The ability to choose a new thought, create a new vision, or go after your dream lies within you. Every day brings new opportunities to create anew as long as you decide to put the drama of the past behind you. Take stock of your year and move forward in good faith that you can do anything you set your mind to.” Sandy Thibault

This seems to be a confusing idea that we can look backward and still be moving forward. All too often when we look back, we do it with blame and judgment against ourselves for things we could have or should have done differently. If we see the same patterns repeating, we might lose hope that we can make a change for the better. Recognize this as a cycle of negativity that keeps you stuck and unable to move forward. I think it is important to look back, but what if we embraced this reflection as a learning experience? We can learn from our past and build on our strengths. I call this building on your successes.

This last Sunday I was listening to the commentary after the football game. The commentary centered around the team being able to string together a series of positive plays, that resulted in a win. That not only works in football but also in life. We can make small positive steps consistently as we build skills and habits that push us toward what we want to achieve.

No matter what sport it is, they watch videos of previous games to understand what needs to be done differently. Doing this kind of inquiry for ourselves helps us to grow and learn about ourselves. It is not only helpful but important to look to our past and be able to let go of what we no longer need to carry, embrace our successes, and decide what steps we want to take as we move forward into this New Year.

The first thing to consider is gratitude. What good things happened this last year? What were your biggest learnings? What was your proudest moment? What possibilities came your way, and did you take advantage of them? When and where were you brave, kind, and/or courageous? What are you grateful for?

Your inquiry can continue with reflecting on things you would like to change. What ended or needs to end? What was your biggest regret or disappointment? What is out of balance? Where do you need to set boundaries? What do you need to forgive yourself for? What value or belief is no longer serving you?

The final part of the reflection involves putting the information you have learned into action. What are you committed to changing this year? What will pique my curiosity? What small steps will I take this year? Do I need to ask for help to move forward?

If you want to make something different in your life, you first need to be able to recognize the areas that cause friction and be willing to look at it and see it as a problem. Doing this kind of inquiry will help you begin to create a positive thought pattern that makes it easier to create a new vision for yourself. It’s your life and I know you have the ability to make it extraordinary.

Once per month I offer a free Zoom meeting called Coffee Conversations. There is some teaching of the topic and then it is open to discuss and ask questions. If you are curious about personal growth I encourage to to attend. Registration is required. See information below.

Refocus for 2023 – Pause – Reflect – Refocus

“The journey of life is a lot like creating pottery, you are always whittling away the bits of clay that are not needed to make your creation beautiful.” – Sandy Thibault

The state of the world, the circumstances of our family and friends, as well as things that are happening in our own life, can greatly impact our well-being. This experience of everyday living greatly impacts us and gets in the way of living a heart-centered life.  We want to live in peace and harmony, but we must remember it is not found outside of ourselves, it is found inside our own heart.  For our own benefit, and for those around us, I believe it is important to spend as much time looking inside as we do searching outside ourselves to find what we seek.

Over the last two decades, ground-breaking research tells us that the heart has its own unique logic that works outside of the autonomic nervous system. In 1991, Dr. J. Andrew Armour discovered that the heart has its own brain. Therefore, he was able to prove that heart signals are capable of reaching the higher brain centers, which then influences our reasoning and choices, as well as our perceptions and emotions.

This kind of research gives us powerful information that helps us connect to the importance of how we live our lives. We must decide to live in a way that is in alignment with our beliefs and values. It is more important than ever that we turn our focus toward the one place in ourselves that can change our perceptions, emotions, and ultimately our hearts.

This quotation from priest, professor, author, and theologian, Barbara Brown Taylor, captures the essence of it, “Salvation happens every time someone with a key uses it to open a door he could lock instead.” The person with the key is you—and the door she is talking about is the door to our hearts. Salvation is the grace that we extend to ourselves and others in the process of opening ourselves to what life has to offer; it is a response to the opening of the heart.

We are both the person who can open a door—and the person who can lock it. We do it all the time to ourselves and others. How often do we lock ourselves out of our own life? The life I am talking about is the one that is there waiting for all of us, the life God intended for us. It is the abundance, joy, peace, and harmony that God want us to have. We need to find that place inside us where we know this truth, and then allow it to affect the way we are in the world.

You are the key, and you hold grace like a healing balm for your heart. It is what happens in us when we open the door to our hearts, and that transforms our lives and relationships. Moving into a heart-centered way of being allows us to perceive ourselves as God sees us. I would invite you to extend grace to yourself and someone else today. You hold the key to peace and joy, so use it to open doors to a grander vision for yourself and others, quite possibly more than you ever imagined possible.

Wishing you a season of light, love and peace!