Light Up Your New Years
Once upon a time, many years ago, a wise sage and his pupil were studying long into the night. The sage knew his days were numbered, having been on this earth for seemingly countless decades, imparting his knowledge to many an eager soul. With this in mind, he turned to his devoted student and suggested they get a breath of fresh air and take a walk into the woods.
The Master and his disciple wandered deep into the forest, their path illuminated only by the lantern they carried. Finally they stopped, and the sage said to his pupil, "I am at the end of my days. You must take all that I have taught you and carry on." With this, he extinguished the lantern. The darkness enveloped the two individuals. Frantic with fear, the young student reached out and said, "Oh Wise One, how can you do this? Would you truly leave me like this in the darkness?" And a quiet voice answered him, "No, my son...I shall leave you searching for the light."
As the dawn of a new year unfolds, many of us find ourselves setting goals and resolutions that we inherently know we will be unable to achieve. Caught up in the frenzy of betterment and self-actualization, we strive to attain the unattainable, only to wonder why we are ready to consent to defeat comes early February. Why is it that we continue, year after year, to set ourselves up for failure? Society seems to demand that we improve upon whatever we achieved during the past twelve months, leaving us bereft of any positive exhilaration that may have accompanied truly great accomplishments during that time. Must January always signal that escalation of our efforts? Why must we diminish that which may have been the pinnacle of a career, solely in the name of a new calendar year?
This year, I invite you to embrace a novel approach to resolutions. Upon quiet internal reflection, try to identify an aspect of your life that may need clarification. Often we can feel so close to a place of understanding, and feel that if someone would just clear away the cobwebs, we'd be able to facilitate the change we wish to bring about in our lives. It matters not whether this affects your personal or professional realm, for eventually these two find a way of becoming inextricably intertwined. Now, gather all of your knowledge, your "bag of tools", and contemplate the paths before you. Draw upon each of your experiences. Allow honesty and integrity to be your driving forces. What you are experiencing is the same as that which the Sage designed for his devoted pupil in the parable above...you are searching for the light.
Darkness is a part of every existence. Rather than approach it from a place of fear, embrace it as an opportunity to search for a way to illuminate your life in a manner you never before dreamed possible. You will know when you have found your light. Follow it with your heart; pursue it with purity, passion and integrity. Blessings for a new year, filled with love, light and opportunity!
Posted: January 1, 2012.
Read her other articles:
All Self Improvement Articles & Columns
Embrasing The Battle Wounds
Spreading The Joy
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Stop The Insanity!
Strengthening the Soul: The Power of Human Connection
Eliminating the F.E.A.R. Factor
Self-Control: Ally or Antagonist?
The Fine Art of Losing
Let it be (stress less)
Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of WHAT?
Cathleen Kronemer is our writer for our self-improvement column and you can read many articles she has written in our print magazine. Cathleen Kronemer has been in the fitness industry for 21 years. She is an AFAA-Certified Group Exercise Instructor, an NSCA-Certified Personal Trainer, freelance writer and microbiologist. Cathleen has been a competitive bodybuilder since 2005, and has been blessed with 19 trophies. She credits bodybuilding with helping her stay focused on her journey towards recovery from anorexia, and is currently training for competition in 2011. Cathleen resides in St. Louis, MO, where she is employed by the Jewish Community Center. And for all those that have asked, yes, this is Cathleen in the above picture!
