... we rarely take the time to pause, breathe, and think about what's working and what's not. There's just too much to do and no time to reflect. ~The best way to use the last five minutes of your day

Firstly... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone! Believe it or not, we are near the end of 2011. As the year draws to a close, it seems to be the time when we reflect on what has happened throughout the year - or at least I do.

A lot has happened in the past year for me - in some ways you can say it's been like a roller coaster ride. Some of the observations below are in some ways obvious, but I would still like to write them down here to share and to serve as a reminder for myself.

  • Things can change at a moment's notice - adapt to change when the unexpected happens
  • Appreciate what you have - don't take anything for granted
  • Friends are awesome - talk often, look after and care for each other
  • Take things as they come, don't worry too much - if it's happened, you can't change it; if it hasn't happened yet, it might not happen. Worrying won't do you any good.
  • "This is your life. Do what you love, and do it often" - Holstee Manifesto
  • Smile, be happy. Relax, enjoy yourself - not everything in life is all that serious, take time to have some fun :)

I feel it is quite beneficial to reflect on what you have learnt from things that have happened. The act of learning and reflecting on what you have learnt are two very different things. In my opinion, reflecting enables you to better understand what you have done right or wrong and allow you to improve.

Unfortunately, I believe we rarely reflect enough - I tend to reflect sporadically, especially after major events. However, we learn and do so much on a daily basis, it seems like we should really reflect at the end of each day. By not pausing and taking time to reflect, it means we are more likely to repeat the same mistakes, or fail to repeat something we did right.

I am going to challenge myself to take 5 minutes each day to reflect over what has happened; what I have done during the day; anything I could/should have done differently etc, I challenge you too do the same.

Once again, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all :) Hope you will have all an awesome and memorable holiday with family and friends!