The Pause When Reflection Meets Future

I love this time of year. As year end holidays meet the coming year, it's almost as if time takes a pause, like that space between inhale and exhale. Time stands still momentarily and we switch gears from thankful reflection to forward intention and motion. That pause is sometimes the focal point for mindfulness practice, as it is one of the more ignored moments of our lives.

Even if you've never been a client or student of mine, I invite you to take part in an exercise that honors this moment. Take a sheet of paper and fold it in half. On one side reflect back through 2016 and list your accomplishments that can be celebrated, big and small. On the other side, write a list of things you'd like to see manifest in 2017.

The crease in the center of the paper is this moment of pause. This moment of turning the corner from reflection to your coming future. I invite you to bask in this moment, because if you have been a client of mine, you know that your 2017 list has a strong potential of coming true. Particularly if you make an honest and authentic commitment to it.

Next, write a letter of thank you to yourself for all your accomplishments. Be authentic in your gratitude and really drink it in to your body as you write it and read it. What is the felt sense of having accomplished all these things?

Then, take the list of things you want to see manifest in 2017 and create a powerful vision statement from it. Commit to reading this statement daily for the next few weeks and refine it as you go so that it resonates so deeply with your soul, you awaken bursting with excitement about the coming year and where you're headed.

My vision this past year included travel, and as you know, I'm currently traveling in Thailand and Myanmar for a few months. While I didn't know this would be where I traveled, it seems to have arrived in a somewhat magical way and produced a deeper joy than I thought possible, as I've gotten to meet Jim's new granddaughter Zia Soe Leonardis Wright. This picture of her and me represents this sense of reflection meeting future.

Since I've skipped being a parent in this incarnation, being called grandma just didn't feel like a good fit. Yet, I've reached a time in my life that is filled with reflection--of choices, inner development, and wisdom from living 50+ years. I've decided to adopt the Burmese name for grandma, pwa. It just sounds better to me. So little Zia will know me as Pwa Nanni-ma. (Not sure where the Nanni-ma is coming from, but I like the sound.)

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This little joy is inspiring me to commit to deepen my mindfulness practice in the coming year. I've experienced and witnessed how mindfulness and compassion practices reveal the simple joy at the core of our being. Zia radiates that joy at 4 months old and I want to commit to revealing more of that in me the coming year.

But, as you'll read in Seven Ways to Overcome Being a Meditator of Convenience, I have some work to do to shore up my practice.

I'm currently in the cradle of the traditional roots of mindfulness in Thailand and Burma. Most of my teachers learned from the Thai forest tradition, so my hope is to sit an extended retreat when Jim and I settle in northern Thailand after the holidays. Extended periods of practice can bring a quiet deepening that can't be reached while engaged in the hustle and bustle of day to day activities.

But, in the meantime, while traveling is busy and my schedule is not consistent, I can put to practice some simple tips that can help steady my practice.

If you're interested in following more of our trip in Thailand and Myanmar

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I'm curious about what YOU are grateful for from 2016 and what YOU want to manifest in 2017? Sharing these with others has a tendency to strengthen resolve and bring added support to our efforts. Feel free to drop me an email or post on Facebook. You'll be amazed at what supportive community can do for your vision!

Finally, what would you like to see from me? What would help your practice? Courses? Coaching? Talks? Let me know, because, as you know...

I am dedicated to bringing mindfulness and compassion to everyday life.

Wishing you luminous peace for the holidays and much to look forward to in 2017!

Warmly,

JoAnn