Another year is almost over and a new one is just around the corner.

This is a great time for reflection, but not on what we SHOULD have done, but what we can do to IMPROVE our lives and situations in the future. Reflection should be a time for renewal. Out with the old, in with the new. Start things fresh. What has happened in the past year that has had a negative impact on your life that you can improve on for the future? What is it that you would really like to accomplish and how can you go about this? What stumbling blocks have you come across and how can you avoid them in the future? These are just but a few things you can reflect on to improve your chances of next year being your best year yet.

The holidays are also a time for forgiveness. Now when I mean forgiveness, that doesn’t mean that what the other person has done (or hasn’t done) is acceptable. It doesn’t mean that you can forget about their transgression(s). It means that you let go of the past and move onto the future. No more grudges; that only feeds the negative in you. Forgiveness allows for a fresh start. Forgiveness relieves the burden in your heart. Forgiveness allows us to be free: to love, to live, and to let go.

Allow the New Year to be a fresh start in your life. If you are having problems in your relationship or with friends, ask yourself “What can “I” do to solve this issue?” Do not focus blame on the other person, even if they did something to anger you. Ask yourself what you could have done to avoid it in the first place and how you can avoid it in the future. If it is an ongoing issue, look deep within YOURSELF. You cannot change other people but situations are a reflection of how we live our lives, how we live with our values, and the way we think of ourselves.

So as the New Year approaches, what can YOU do to improve YOU.