The New Year has begun. The parties have ended.
I feel the New Year is a great time to reflect upon the things that have not gone quite the 
way you’ve expected. While many love to ring in the New Year in style, this time, I chose to ponder over things I could have done differently. Sometimes, we need silence. Sometimes, we need space. We need to be alone to listen to our thoughts. This gives us the vision to take each day differently and handle situations with a creative edge.
On this note, I am sharing something that deserves a mention by one of my favorite authors – Elizabeth Gilbert.
The following Text is taken from her FACEBOOK PAGE. The motive is to inspire my readers with her valuable thoughts.
Dear Ones –
You did it, everyone. You did a whole year!
Whether it was a great year for you or a painful year — you did it.
You got here.
You made it.
We made it.
Whether you feel like taking a victory lap right now, or just lying down in a darkened room with a cool washcloth over your eyes — you did it.
Time to close the book.
Please try to take some time today to reflect. Give yourself some silence in which to figure out what you need to put behind you now, and what you are ready to welcome in for 2016. Don’t be afraid to make up a ceremony around this, or to invent a small ritual.
May I suggest writing things down, and either burning them or burying them, or bringing them to water?
I always do this on New Year’s Eve. I write down what I want to shed from the old year, and what I want to welcome into the new year. Then I burn the paper, and bring the ashes to the nearest body of water, and let it go.
This is a day to return to the elements — fire, water, earth — and to set yourself free from what was, while opening your heart wide to what is to come. It’s worth the trouble to invent a little ceremony at this moment of transition, because it’s a big moment.
I have always loved New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. Even though our sense of time is arbitrary and human, it still means something. I love the feeling I always get on New Year’s Eve that I am lucky — that the universe has been generous to me, to have let me stick around for another year, and to now erase the slate and give me another chance.
Tomorrow I will be gifted with a brand new year — with no mistakes in it yet, and no heartbreaks yet, and no failures yet. I get to try again. Amazing.
You will be gifted with this huge blessing, too. A clean and empty book awaits us all. Maybe we will be able to write things differently this time. Maybe a bit better. Maybe we will be wiser this time. At least we get to try.
We have all been given a fresh chance.
Let’s close the old book, and open a new one.
Here we go, and blessings for 2016, and — now more than ever — ONWARD.
-Elizabeth Gilbert.
(Author of Eat, Pray, Love.)
So, have you found your ritual? It might be something simple. It might seem insignificant. But, it is needed. I firmly believe in that. How else can you break your shackles and emerge a stronger person? A person who has overcome the past fears, a person who knows exactly what she/he is doing. A person who does not fear what someone else is thinking. A person who goes ahead despite all adversities.
Thank you, Ms. Gilbert, for making us think differently. For telling us NOT to follow our passion. But to keep working. 🙂
A Happy New Year to all the lovely readers and to those who often drop by to like my blog post or show appreciation. Every action from your end means a whole lot to me!
Regards,
Kashmira
