Happy New Year everyone!
As we gently get into the New Year, I wish you all the best for this New Year – may this year bring all you wish and much more.
I wish you all a very peaceful, abundant and blissful New Year. May you have health, wealth and peace in your life.
And of course, as I said in my last post, may this year be when you become the sort of person you always wanted to be.
After a very enjoyable break of 10 days with family and friends, I am now back in full flow and have a number of key articles coming up shortly.
In the last few days, I have read a number of articles about making and keeping New Year resolutions and how to make 2011 a successful and happy year.
I have mixed thoughts about the value of making New Year resolutions. Though I do like the idea of setting goals at this time of the year, I also feel that a lot of people feel pressurised and then get upset when their resolutions soon fizzle out.
Having thought about what I think is really important, I would like to suggest 2 things for you to focus on this year and indeed any year.
1. Bring More Compassion into the World
Compassion is about putting yourself in the shoes of the other person and seeing the world from their perspective.
It is about feeling their pain and empowering them to be their best. It is not about pity or patronizing.
“Have compassion for all beings, rich and poor alike – each has their suffering. Some suffer too much, others too little.” – Buddha
I strongly feel that it is high time we really questioned how we are living our lives and treating our fellow human beings and the planet.
In 2011, just how can we learn to treat each other with more kindness, care, consideration and dare I say it with love?
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive.” – Dalai Lama
How can we learn from the events of the last few years to bring more compassion into the world?
We all have deep within us this calling and a capacity to help others, to make a difference in some way and to make ourselves count.
However, service is not just about doing charity work, or even “looking good”. It is about creating something sustainable and leaving a legacy for those to follow.
Service is about empowering people and giving them their dignity.
So what’s stopping you from doing even more for the world? Are you fearful of changing the world?
Then feel the fear and change the world anyway!
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” – Winston Churchill
2. Live with an Attitude of Gratitude
As we go into 2011, be aware of all the good things already in your life. Maybe you don’t even need to set any New Year resolutions!
Gratitude is all about appreciating the things you have in your life. Are you even aware of all the goodness in your life?
This year, make a promise to yourself to truly appreciate what you have in your life.
How often we take something for granted and then miss it as soon as it has gone. Many a time a loved one has left us, only for us to wish we had told them just how much they meant to us.
Gratitude is a way of reaching back to your natural state of happiness.
You get to notice what’s right instead of what’s wrong and begin to see every “problem” as an opportunity for growth and development.
Is your glass half full or half empty?
in 2011, I challenge you to begin to value all the goodness and beauty around you. This can be as majestic as a sunset or as simple as the feel of the clothes you wear.
Be thankful for a gift from a friend, a child’s smile, a stranger’s kindness, having got home safely today and simply to be alive.
The happiest people I know live with an attitude of gratitude.
The Way Forward in the New Year
So that’s it, my two key things for you to focus on in the New Year:-
1. Compassion
2. Gratitude
As an early gift for the New Year, I would like to end this post by sharing a beautiful YouTube video.
This video is a Hindu prayer and a wish for universal love, peace, prosperity and harmony for everyone irrespective of religion and location.
These are the words in English, translated from Sanskrit:-
Om.
May good befall all,
May there be peace for all,
May all be fit for perfection, and
May all experience that which is auspicious.
May all be happy.
May all be healthy.
May all experience what is good and let no one suffer
On that note, happy New Year everyone.
Top image courtesy of tanakawho
I had many things in this year but now i am going to add this too and 2
Good luck Anand!
Wishing you all the best for 2011.
Gratitude is the concept that is probably most responsible for changing my life for the better — simply being grateful for what I have.
Compassion can make significant changes to the world if it could find its way into social service agencies, legal systems and individual lives.
I have a guest post on my blog today from Sam Spurlin about starting on the path to an adventurous life by learning something new. I, for one, could use a little more adventure with my compassion and gratitude.
Gip
Greetings, Gip!
I totally agree with you – we need much more compassion in all those departments which are ultimately meant to serve us.
Also, just imagine how our lives would be changed if we could just have more compassion for each other.
Wishing you an amazingly adventurous 2011 full of compassion and gratitude:-)
I cried when I watched the U-tube video… it’s vey moving.
I try to live my life full of gratitude but often forget.
Compassion would make so much difference. Why is it that the world can show compassion in dire disasters but when someone needs a small kindness we can’t or won’t deliver it?
The Christmas spirit, whatever that means, soon evaporates…until another whole year has past.
Linda, glad you liked the YouTube video – it’s one of the most moving videos I have watched. And so appropriate for 2011.
So true – why does the world only show compassion in dire disasters?!
But it just takes a few people to change the world – let that be us:-)
Lovely to see you back Arvind, I hope you had a nice break?
Compassion and gratitude are two things that I see very little of in today’s world. Such a shame. I wonder how much our societies would benefit if we just had a little more of these two qualities.
Thanks for posting Arvind, I hope you’re well 🙂
Stuart, greetings!
Yes, I had a nice break – and now I am slowly charging myself up for 2011:-)
Let’s all show more compassion and gratitude always!
Arvind,
May I share a lesson with you? I recently hosted a special couple aboard my boat for the last four weeks. On their last night in town, I wanted to give them a gift of love, so took off work early to drive us to a Lake Shrine an hour away–beautiful grounds and a center of peace. I chose to walk solo to allow them close time together..as I walked I was overcome with love and gratitude, and said thank you to each plant, each animal as I passed. I breathed it all in, and as I breathed out I sent it to Everyone.
This morning, I walked the loop around my harbor. As I walked, I Felt the same as at the Lake Shrine..such beauty by the water, the same plants, the same animals, I had just become so “used to them” I couldn’t see them for what they were..One does not need to travel far, or plan a gift of love..one only needs to open their heart to the beauty right *here*..and allow gratitude to overflow..
Thank you, Arvind, for all that you share!
Joy, thanks for sharing your lesson.
What an amazing gift to give your friends. And how lucky are the plants and animals around you!
Thanks too for sending me the link to the YouTube video above which I was able to then share with my readers:-)
Hey Arvind, Compassion and Gratitude, simple and easy! What a way to start the new year! A very happy new year to you and whatever you decide as specifics targets I’m sure that they both will play a key part!
Greetings, Amit!
Yes to more compassion and gratitude – two qualities which I know you are already full off.
Wishing you all the best for 2011. I am expecting big things of you this year;-)
Hi Arvind,
I was journaling about having more compassion this morning. It’s easy to have it with many people, but not so easy to have it for family members all the time. We lose our tempers and argue. I’m going to practice having more compassion at the times I feel my buttons are being pushed. That’s how I will work on compassion in 2011.
As for gratitude – every day – all the time for everything I have just as it is, even if it isn’t to my liking. I will practice being grateful.
Thank you for this wonderful reminder Arvind. We can change the world even if we start small. The little pebble thrown in the water sets of rings that span the oceans!
I wish for you that 2011 is going to be your best and most brilliant year! You deserve nothing less my friend.
Angela, it’s so true so that we can easily show compassion to strangeres but not so much to those who are dearest to us.
Great that you are taking on practising even more gratitude in 2011.
Here’s to your and my best and most brilliant year ever:-)
Arvind: Happy New Year to you too. Thanks to you and Joy for sharing the Hindu prayer. I really appreciated what you said about compassion and gratitude. I think that is great advice of things we should focus on in 2011. It is amazing how much light both of these bring to our life. Thanks for sharing your wisdom.
Thanks Sibyl – happy New Year to you too!
Here’s to more compassion and gratitude in 2011:-)
Wishing you all the best in your journey this year.
What a beautiful prayer and video. The start to the year has been full of bad news, and it was nice to watch this and get a more positive perspective on the world and what is possible for us.
Dave, welcome again to my blog.
Glad you liked the prayer and video.
Let’s put all the “bad” news behind us and move into 2011 in more light and positivity.
How good that is! Compassion fills your heart and Gratitude colours it with infinite love. Certainly, the best resolution of this year is to be grateful and feel compassion about myself and my work and my friends 🙂 Thank you so much!
Jaky, welcome to my blog.
I love the way you have described my 2 keys – compassion indeed fills our hearts and gratitude colours it with infinite love.
I wish you an amazing 2011, full of compassion, gratitude and much more.