December 6, 2015 • Newsletter
There’s something powerful about light, isn’t there? This month we naturally start to crave more of it as our days shorten and the darkness lengthens.
Light makes us feel hopeful, happy, and optimistic. It lightens our burdens and lifts our spirits. I’ve watched the performance “Pleiades” from Enra, a motion graphics and performing arts troupe, at least a dozen times, and every time I’m captivated by the use of physical movement, technology, and music to convey the power of light.
Enra’s “Pleiades”
(December 2013 by artists Saya Watatani and Maki Yokoyama)
It is no surprise holidays this month center around the theme of light. Diwali is the Hindu celebration of light; Christmas celebrates light in the world; is the festival of lights. The Winter Solstice is commonly celebrated with a light ceremony to welcome the sun as days begin to get lighter.
We love light.
Hopefully 2015 has been a year of illumination for you, in terms of mindfulness, financial capabilities, creativity, and empowerment. As you conclude this year, we’ve compiled a list of three things to lighten your load as 2015 comes to a close. One involves looking back, one involves looking now, and one involves looking ahead to the future.
Celebrate Progress (Looking Back)
December is a delightful time to explore your own “year in review.” What goals did you have for 2015? How did they go? Some may have gone really well; celebrate those! Some may have been modified; forgive yourself for the modifications. There’s plenty of time to adjust your plans for accomplishing those goals. Life happens, circumstances change, and your strategies for accomplishing goals may as well.
What does your financial “year in review” show? What assets do you have? How do they compare to your assets at this time last year? Are you building an emergency reserve fund? Are you saving for unexpected circumstances? Are you reducing your debt reasonably? Are you investing in yourself, your creativity, your future, and your growth? Did you manage major changes effectively? What did you learn about your own financial health?
Think about your creative accomplishments this year. What are you most proud of? Which projects brought you joy? What people inspired and supported you? How do you measure your own creative success?
Your December Assessment To-Do: Think back on 2015 and celebrate all you accomplished financially and creatively.
Be Someone Else’s Light (Looking Now)
As you celebrate your presence this season (not your presents, but rather your presence), think about how you can be present for others. Your experiences, successes, lessons, and skills are a gift to someone else. By being generous with your time, your energy, and your stories this month, you’ll give someone else a delightful present… With your presence and your support.
This month, be a ray of hope for someone else by sharing your own stories, experience, time, and energy. Your December Assistance To-Do: Share your stories with someone else.
Bonus To Do: If you’ve been the recipient of someone else’s support, extend your gratitude to him or her this month as well. Who knows? Your gratitude might be just the encouragement he or she needs to keep extending support to others.
Dream Big (Looking Forward)
We never have to wait for a new year or a fresh start to reassess our goals… And yet, the start of a new calendar year is a delightful time to begin anew. As we prepare for the start of 2016, consider what goals you have for the year.
What do you hope to accomplish creatively? What are you most excited about? What petrifies you about your work for 2016?
Where do you hope to be financially at this point next year? What steps can you take to get there? What keeps you up at night financially, and how can you fix that during 2016?
Thus, your December Goal-Setting To-Do: Think about the goals you’d most like to tackle during 2016. And make plans to tackle them.
December Recap
To recap, during this month of light, we’re looking back, looking forward, and embracing the present to celebrate our 2015 successes and plan for 2016.
- Assess: Look back at 2015 and reflect upon the creative, professional, and financial progress you made during the year.
- Assist: Be the light to someone else this month, sharing of yourself and your experiences openly and honestly.
- Set Goals: Begin planning for the creative, professional, and financial goals you’ll accomplish in 2016.
All the best as you celebrate your holiday season! Your presence is certainly a light in my life.
~Elaine
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