Holding the Keys to 2016

Happy New Year! Each of us hold the keys to creating our future. We can make choices to think, feel and act in creative, productive, healthy and fulfilling ways. We don’t need to be bystanders letting life pass us by. We can choose to be active participants in shaping the life we want to live.

Here are 4 tips to a great 2016:

• Write a Good Life Story:

Recognize that you hold the pen that is writing your story. If you want to feel empowered recognize that you are the author of your life. Write each new chapter with purpose and creativity. One of the main reasons psychologists get into the field of psychology is that we are passionate about hearing about people’s journeys. Psychologists love stories. In our offices we are privy to the deepest places in people’s lives, the untold stories. I believe everyone has a story to tell. Write one that your children will want to tell their children.

Those who tell the stories rule society. ~Plato

• Deepen Your Emotional Awareness:

Paying attention to our feelings and emotions is important to wellbeing. Taking our emotional pulse is beneficial to our health. More and more research is showing the harmful effects of negative emotions on both our physical and mental health. You might try asking yourself the following questions. Are there any feelings stirring within you that are causing discomfort? Do you feel like your emotions are getting the best of you or getting out of control? Are there any relationships that are causing you heartache or distress? Maybe you feel that something isn’t quite right. If you answered yes to any of these questions, it may be time to take a deeper look. Becoming aware of your present state of being is important.

Who looks outside, dreams; who looks inside, awakens. ~Carl Jung

• Be Mindful:

Mindfulness simply means one’s nonjudgmental awareness and full engagement in the present moment. It is easy in our high tech world to get distracted. When we are mindful we are more alert, attentive and attuned. We aren’t letting the moment pass us by, rather we are really engaging and experiencing life. In this regard we are truly alive. New research is pointing to the many benefits of practicing mindfulness, for instance being less anxious, impulsive or depressed. Being mindful also helps to increase our wellbeing.

Always hold fast to the present. Every situation, indeed every moment, is of infinite value, for it is the representative of a whole eternity. ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

• Stretch Your Faith:

Faith means something different for everyone. For some it means organized religion, for instance going to church or synagogue. Some people prefer private means of spirituality like prayer, meditation, retreats or reflection. Spirituality to me is having a deep faith in God and His Son, Jesus. Wherever you are in your faith today, lean into it. Ask the bigger questions of life. Why am I here? What is my purpose? Who is my Creator? Is God calling me to something? Our brains seem to be wired to understand there is something much greater than ourselves and beyond this life. Be courageous and stretch your faith.

The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why. ~Mark Twain