Upwards and Onwards

Guest Contributor: Yvonne Mahoney
Yvonne's Posts - Yvonne's Blog


It's the end of the year and time to reflect on what has been achieved and to look forward to what is to be.

Chances are in looking back most of us will encounter a little disappointment and regret at what has not yet been done, gained or mastered. All those goals that were set with anticipation and eagerness that we now feel a trifle sheepish for not having fulfilled. I know I have those feelings.

But just as they start to bubble up in my throat, I quickly remind myself of what I do already have and am grateful for.

Number one is good health and there is no price that can be paid for that. Wealth beyond comparison. My home circumstances are fine, my belly is usually full enough, my home is as secure as anything can be, I live in green surroundings and so far I'm hanging on to my job which is OK for the time being. Plus plenty, plenty more. Yes there is a lot to be thankful for.

Which is funny as my mastermind group is about to meet to reflect on our successes this year and to set new goals, and I was registering a flutter of frustration and disappointment that I wouldn't have much more to contribute on that front because some of my big goals from last year this time have not moved forward very much.

It has after all been one hell of a year world wide, and its left many people scared about the now and the coming months. We are bombarded every day with stories of the doom and gloom of the economy.

Will it get any worse economically? Most certainly for some people. it will. It is my belief that we have not yet even begun to uncover the might of the economic downturn and it would be very easy to get into a spiral of self-defeating talk and despair.

But frankly, we can choose not to buy into that kind of thinking. So now to counter that, I want to make sure that I remember what I have to celebrate and acknowledge all the little achievements that could so easily be overlooked. And that is something I can share with my group.

We get what we focus on. This is something that's been very prominent on my mind this last year. And if what I've been focusing on hasn't happened to me this year, well, I'll just add a 'yet' to it and keep my focus strong.

Forgive me if I seem a little airy-fairy but I will also be telling myself that the universe wants what is good for me and there is something even better for me ahead. That thought really shifts the disappointments and regrets.

Is this avoiding the reality and trying to see the world through rose coloured spectacles? I have in my journal, repeating over and over - 'Believe in your dreams'.

I choose to take inspiration from all those giants before me on whose shoulders I can stand who did just that. So many come to mind just now as I write and one that stand out is Martin Luther King. "I have a dream that one day…." Yes I know Obama has an awful lot to live up to now, but haven't we come a long way though the road was never smooth? That's life.

Yes believe in your dream.

Who knows how long the road may be? How do I keep my motivation going so that I can achieve what I want to?

Part of that of course comes from my own will and self determination but there is no denying the strength to be gained from working with others who will provide that little bit of extra support and push and challenge I need. And I believe that I can do all that for others too. Its been good to write this because its diluted that little bit of trepidation about my next mastermind meeting.

Upwards and onwards.