Your new 365 day chapter

Brad Paisley, the American country music singer said – ‘Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one’. He was referring to the coming around of a new year, the opportunity to write a new chapter of your story.

I am not a great believer in ‘New Year’s Resolutions’ or great announcements of ‘this year will be different’, but am absolutely a believer in each of our ability to write our own story, including changing the focus, the characters and the outcome so as to better align with our vision and purpose.

There is much said and written about ‘dreams’ and ‘goal setting’ and ‘getting the life we seek’, a great deal of which may be beautiful, poetic and momentarily inspiring.  The truth however is that dreams and goals are only meaningful, and will only actually be realised, if they are in alignment with our personal vision.  It is impossible to write our story – and leave a legacy – if we do not do so with our individual uniqueness at heart.

Vision is literally that – a picture of how we want our lives to look; knowing with whom we wish to share our journey; where and how we want to be working; the location and or geographical destination where we aspire to be living – and more.   Purpose is about what drives us, what feeds our sense of achievement and well-being and allows us to feel as if we are making a positive contribution, if not to the world, then to our families or ourselves.

Vision and purpose walk hand in hand and it is only when we stop listening to the naysayers; avoid the traps of setting goals that belong to someone else and connect with what we want in our hearts that we are able to write our own story.

As this fresh new year dawns, filled with so many potential opportunities – no matter how challenging these might be – make a conscious effort to connect with your personal vision and start writing a new chapter of your book so that when 2017 draws to a close, this part of your story will forever be cherished in the years to come.

Written by Elise Burns-Hoffman for the January 2017 issue of the Bay Magazine
Incapacity, Disability and Claims Consultant and Personal Business Coach