So it’s a new year and I find it crazy that we celebrated the millennium 16 years ago. I don’t know whether you feel bored already of new years resolution or the ‘fresh start’ conversations?
Sometimes the idea of starting a new set of resolutions just feels a bit of a joke, as we think about all those that we have started and not completed. I have been trying to think about what’s important for me this year. Not what I want to achieve but what’s actually important.
I came across this quote last year, which I have found interesting to reflect on in light of 2016:
“Sail beyond the horizon; fly higher than you ever thought possible; magnify your existence by helping others; be kind to people and animals of all shapes and sizes; be true to what you value most; shine your light on the world; and be the person you were born to be.” Blake Beattie
The first part “Sail beyond the horizon; fly higher than you ever thought possible” I think its encourages us to think about going beyond where we have been before, to not allow the things that held us back in 2015 to constrain the things we hope for in 2016. To sail beyond the horizon, means to step into unknown areas. To be willing to take a risk and try something new and different that we haven’t experienced before. This could be something extreme like jumping out of a plane for charity, or it could be choosing to trust someone with how you are feeling or to be vulnerable with what’s really going on.
“Magnify your existence by helping others; be kind to people and animals of all shapes and sizes” I thought the word magnify was interesting... what does it mean to magnify ourselves? Magnification means to make something bigger, when I looked it up it also meant to make something greater. So perhaps to magnify our existence is to use our existence for great things. By this I don’t mean finding a cure for a disease, I think it’s where the second part about being kind fits it. That if we are kind to this world and all that’s in it, we magnify our existence because to be kind is to be great.
“Be true to what you value most” This involves us asking the question about what we value most? I’d love to hear what things we value most maybe its honesty, family, faith, compassion or freedom. All of us will have a different set of values that are most important to us. But I encourage you to think about what you value most and be true to it, even if it’s different from people around you!
“Shine your light on the world” At selfharmUK we believe 100% that no matter what we have been through we all have something to offer the world, and that starts with you letting the world share in your light, your journey, your experiences, allowing even the tough times to shine a light to help those around you.
“Be the person you were born to be” Maybe 2016 could be a year of discovering more about who you are and what you were born to be?