Can you feel it?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/124280874@N07/23723116809

So the craziness of the holidays are now behind us, and if you are like the majority of the world, you are wondering what might be in store for you during the next 365 days.  As I look back on the previous year I am amazed at how fast it went, and then I wonder if this year is going to be any different?

Some of you may have made New Years resolutions, and who knows maybe, just maybe, you haven't broken them yet.  No matter what you are thinking, what you are desiring, or what you are believing for in the next year, this one thing I will promise you: those things that need to be will be, and those things that need to be revealed to you will come to you in just the right moment, for just the right reason.

I am going to encourage you today to let go of things, to toss aside things that no longer serve you, or things that simply have become meaningless.  I want to motivate you to do one thing for me this year.  It won't cost you a cent, and it just may be something that changes your life entirely.  Learn from the past, but don't get trapped in it, and by all means, don't let your past define you.  We have a way of always looking at what has been as something that will always be, when in actuality, what has been, is just that, the past.  I've allowed myself to be trapped in my past, because quite frankly I never thought I had an alternative.  I've learned from my past, and if my past is any indicator of my future, then I will say that this year is going to be one amazing year.

There is always a natural excitement when it comes to the New Year.  There is an expectation of things to come, and there is often a thankfulness for things that have been.  I desire that you run with the excitement, that you open yourself up for what is there for you, and that you allow yourself to be truly thankful for the things you have gone through, good, bad, or indifferent.  As I have said so many times in the past, life is nothing more then a series of lessons, designed to get you to the place that you were always destined to be, and to become the person you were always destined to become.

If I took a poll of 10,000 people and asked them if they were content with their place in life, what do you think the breakdown would be?  How many would respond from a place of either having what they need in life, or from a place of always needing more? Some would say that they are in just the right place, and there is nothing they would change.  I guess they may be the lucky few, and when I say few I mean it.  Sadly the vast majority of people, if being completely truthful, would say that life is nothing like they had dreamt about, or wanted.  Well it's a new year now, so I guess the possibilities are pretty endless in terms of what may or may not come your way over the next 365 days.

Ask yourself this question:  do you want a repeat of last year, or do you truly want to see things change in your life?  Do you want to look back on 2016 and realize that things were so grand, so exciting, so full of life, that there is nothing you would not give to have it again and again?  Even when faced with situations that the average person would describe as fearful, or lousy, can you find the happiness and joy in those situations?  It is in finding happiness and joy in all that you do, that will bring back to you more happiness and joy, and then the pendulum will begin to swing back in your favor all the time.

Each New Year brings with it hope.  Hope for all your tomorrows, hope for all your dreams, and a hope that says no matter what, I am going to have what I desire most.  It is this hope that motivates each of us to take another step. It is this hope that says do it just one more time, even if the last hundred attempts failed.  It is this hope that keeps us moving forward, and not giving up because we have a feeling that things will turn out OK.  As long as you have hope, you have a chance.  A chance to change things up, a chance to make things better, and a chance to reach the mountain top and see the world from a completely different perspective.

There are times when all we have is hope, because everything else around us is showing something completely different.  Don't be moved by what you see, as often what we see is simply an illusion, set out to distract you from what is really important.  Hope says that what is deep in your heart, is what will come to pass.  Hope is the belief that you are special, and because you are here right now, there are things that are only meant for you and no one else.  Reach out and grab what is yours.  Know the perfection of you, and love who and what you are.

I know what 2016 is going to be like, and I long for others to share in the excitement of the New Year, knowing that great things are ahead, and great things are just as much for you as anyone else.  Hold on to hope, let go of doubts, and accept the beauty of those things around you that are there as gifts to you each day of the year.  It's time to shine my friends.  Shine with a radiance of hope, and let your light be seen by others who may need direction.  Happy New Year and may blessings abound to you in greater measure then you could dream of.