Reflections and Decisions

It is almost Christmas and almost the end of the year. What a year it has been for us at Epoch, so many great times and some very testing times. All too often it is easy to get caught up in the day to day and the drama of life, never really taking time to think about our life and all the great things we have done, as well as the things that maybe we should avoid repeating.

This is the purpose of my blog for you this week, it is at this time of year I like to sit down and reflect, to take time and think about the year just passed and ask myself three simple questions:

1. What did I do this year that I want to do more of?

2. What did I do this year that I wish to do less of?

3. What did I do this year that I don’t want to do again?

These simple yet powerful questions can help us set up a far better year ahead. Without asking them, we will just float aimlessly into the next year as we did before. But if we ask them and act on them, we can make our next year and indeed our lives so much more fulfilling.

Firstly, we can be more thankful. You know that I am a proponent of gratitude, it is the emotion above all others that will promote a happy and healthy life. What is it you did this year, that you want to do more of?

Essentially, what were all the good and great things you did this year? Identify them, reflect, and enjoy the memories of them and commit to doing more of those things next year.

The next two questions have the potential to get us out of the monotony and hamster wheel of life. What is it you did this year that you want to do less of, or never again? Admit these to yourself, make a strong mental note of them and learn to flex the most powerful word known to man, ‘no’. Say no to these events and tasks next year. Granted, some things we have to do and we can not get out of them, but there is a lot that we say yes to when really we shouldn’t and simply we don’t want to.

So just for you, here are my top answers to these three questions:

1. Days out in nature.
This is something Sarah and I used to do a lot of, but we let life get on top of us a little, so I am making a commitment to get into nature more next year.

2. Binge eating during tough times.

Yes, even I binge eat! When times get tough, a tin of cider and some peanuts seems to sort it. How wrong that is. It never helps in the long run. Sure, I will continue to enjoy these things in moderation, but I commit to doing less of it.

3. Time off work for surgery.

Many of you know I have had to take quite a chunk of time off recently. Granted it was unavoidable, but I will do everything in my power, which is to look after my body physically, chemically and emotionally to prevent any recurrence.

What are your top 3 answers? I would love to hear.

Here is to a Very Merry Christmas and a Fabulous New Year!

With love

Tom