Hopes & Plans for 2011

• Finish and publish my book on happiness.   X
• Connect with a wonderful man with whom I would co-create the most amazing, joyous, long-long-lasting loving relationship. X
• Teach meditation in the corporate field and online.     X
• Double my income – or even treble it. (It would still be quite modest at that level)  X
• Expand my circle of friends & improve my social life here in Westport YES
• Go on a fabulous free holiday (Why not?! I entered several competitions) X
• Get fit and generally be more active. YES(ish)  
• Be happy, no matter what!  YES*

*for the most part – there was a bit of a backwards slide through October/November, but I got back on track J 

Disappointments

Well now, at a simple glance, it would appear that the disappointments won hands down:

• My book remains unfinished – in fact, for most of the year I didn’t touch it.  But the last little while, I have been getting back into it….
• Although some options did arise on the romance front, I am still on the lookout for something out of the ordinary. (I’d rather be single than settle, and I hope that never changes!)
• I’m still struggling to expand my meditation teaching fora (is that the plural of forum?).
• My income has contracted rather than expanded.
• I didn’t go on holiday – free or otherwise!

But one of the thrilling (and also the not so thrilling) aspects of our lives, is that so much of it is not planned (or hoped) for….  And our disappointments and celebrations can equally arise from unexpected events.

To add to my disappointments this year: I let myself down on a couple of occasions, despite knowing in the moment that I was making a personal mistake.  But as a consequence I have now strengthened my boundaries, not only with that individual but with others also. (And that would be something to celebrate!)

I also took my “learned optimism” (cos I was born a pessimist!) for granted.  And when business took a nose-dive in the autumn I allowed circumstances to dictate my mood and outlook.  But it was a temporary downwards shift (the mood, not the circumstance) and another important lesson for me…

Celebrations

Which does bring me nicely onto my celebrations:

• My mother recovered from cancer (well, it’s not all about me!)
• I’m living in Westport two years now, and have made some very good friends.  And my social life is certainly a lot more active than it was in 2010 J
• Just living in Westport is something to celebrate – I really do love it here!
• I’m not quite at the “fit and active” level that I would like, but I’ve definitely made inroads.
• I’ve strengthened my personal boundaries (as already referred to).
• Despite the severe economic challenges I’ve faced I haven’t become overwhelmed or depressed.  (Though I might have, had I let my pessimism continued unchecked.)
• For the most part, I have been happy.

On balance, celebrations galore! 

My Hopes & Plans for 2012

So, despite how challenging it felt at the time, I managed to get through the year still standing and smiling.  But I’m still glad to bid it farewell and look forward to the new year and the blessings it might bring me.

As for what they might be:

• It would be great if I finally finish and publish my book.
• Of course, I would still love to co-create that amazing, joyous, long-long-lasting loving relationship.
• Expanding my income – exponentially – is a must (out of necessity rather than greed).
• I could go on and on with a list of material desires…

… but more importantly, what I hope for myself for the coming year is:

• To do the best I can without putting myself under pressure to do more than I am able.
• To be happy and at peace within, no matter what is going on around me.
• To stop resisting what is and either change it or find a way to flow with it. (I pinched this from Oprah)
• To continue to grow into the best version of me I can possibly be.

Happy New Year!  I hope your 2012 rocks.

Hilda Carroll from The Happiness Business

Hilda Carroll trained at the Chopra Centre in California and I've had the good fortune to learn Primordial Sound Meditation from her. 

She is lovely and really good at what she does!  Meditation is a highly effective tool to increase levels of personal happiness and improve overall wellbeing on the physical, mental and emotional levels. 

It's something I do regularly myself and it really does help, and there is an ever growing scientific body of research showing the physical changes within the brain as a direct result of meditation. 

The Happiness Business is on Facebook  And, if you want to learn meditation, Hilda is the person to learn from.  She's based in Westport, on the West Coast of Ireland.