There is a time for everything; now is the time of year to not only give to others, but to give to yourself as well.  Sometimes I think we forget that.

In between decking the halls and flocking to malls, making sure you’ve made a list and checked it twice, singing “Jingle Bells” in every possible rendition, and finding yourself frustrated with the crowds and traffic and (yes, you can say it) the greed you see, we have forgotten to do one very special thing for ourselves … reflect.  There’s only so much one human being can do, and we humans have a tendency to go on auto-pilot during the holidays.

The New Year marks a happy time for most people, because we get to “start all over again.”  What we should be doing is skimming back through 2013.

Facing whatever the year held for us is important: the pain, the struggles, the tears, and the worries.  But let us also not forget the joy, the strength, and the obstacles we overcame.  Some people are afraid to look back.  It isn’t healthy to stay there very long, but it is ok to compare it to where you are now.  You’ve come a long way and you should be proud of yourself.

It was a rough year for many people.  If we take the time to look back, even for a few uninterrupted and peaceful moments, we can see that the past is indeed past; yet we are moving forward at what feels like warp speed.  It is in reflecting that we can also see how we’ve had an effect on people’s lives or how they’ve affected ours.  It is a time to envision how we could have done things better, and feel good about the positive things that have transpired.  It is about personal growth when it comes to the bad stuff we went through.

This personal reflection shows us how strong we became as we battled the indescribable pain of losing a loved one, losing a job, or even sometimes, our sense of “self.”  It is also in that reflection that we should remember those far less fortunate than ourselves — to put things into perspective and realize we are not as bad off as we may think or feel.

It isn’t about loss.  It’s about gain.

Now you can move forward teaching others because you have an experience you didn’t have before.  If everyone had a better attitude, if everyone took the time to reflect on themselves, if everyone learned to forgive themselves and others, the world would be a much better place.  But since neither you nor I can control the world, all we can do is work on our little corner of it.  Our job is not to solve the problems of the universe.  It’s just to be the best that we can be at who we are and what we do (and the word “perfection” does exist when it comes to that).

Imagine a world where everyone tried to be their best.  Now that’s worth reflecting on!