A Successful Year

It's a new year: a new beginning to some, new resolutions to others.

How do we reflect on the past year and look at our accomplishments and failures, and therefore define whether or not we have had a successful year?

What are the points on which we measure such an answer? The resolutions we kept in which we succeeded; the goals we had set, accomplished, and even possibly surpassed; where we are in our personal or professional lives?

One's happiness in life can be measured by the richness life itself feels, how fulfilled and well-balanced it is. Do we then, in turn, think about the reasons why we feel fulfilled, by listing all our accomplishments and things that made us happy over the past year? Is it at all possible that what gives our lives a sense of richness does not come from reason and intellect and instead from a well-balanced emotional brain defined by the strong connections and full relationship we have made? If so, where and how can we find these within ourselves?

1. Our physical existence: The more connected we are to our physical being, the more fulfilled we would feel about our health, and in turn, our happiness. I feel more connected to my own body after exercising, and feel more aware of my own body's reaction to the world, and further building the connection to the roots of my emotions. However, this area is not solely defined by our exercise regimen (mine definitely could have been better), rather, however which way we go about our days in trying to connect our mind with our body.

2. Intimacy: Our emotional brain is also designed to regulate our emotional relationships. Naturally, love is an effective way of giving us meaning. Anything that involves us in intimate relationships - with our friends, family, or significant other - anchors us firmly in our existence. I love having my hand held, for example. For me, someone who is unafraid of holding onto mine, is telling me to trust them and have them lead the way, or that they trust me as they can feel the connection of the coolness or heat of our emotions transferred through the palm of our hands. It is a sign of the beginning of intimacy. I appreciate someone confiding in me and also feel a sense of emotional connection once I open myself up to another. All those to whom we feel close connect us to life and give it meaning.

Intimacy is often times mistaken for its physical counterpart, and it is not difficult to confuse the two. However, intimacy is about the mental and emotional closeness one feels to another being. And the more we have, the more content we can end up.

3. Community: It is important that we give back to our community. By that, I don't mean volunteering at every soup kitchen in the neighbourhood, or donating money to charities or attending charity functions. It is the feeling that we get from doing something as simple as offering our seats to an elderly on a bus, opening a door for someone whose hands are full, being pleasant to strangers, or anything else selfless with no real reward except for the feeling of being useful and appreciated by another human being. Everyone loves feeling appreciated. Little do we know, the elderly for whom we give up our seat would feel exactly that, and that we add value to this life.

4. Spirituality: It is possible to feel connected to a dimension beyond the body. It doesn't mean we have to have a religion in which we can define our spiritual belief, instead the to be able to feel that we are in the presence of something much greater than all of the physical world. I grew up in a religious upbringing, and had always been made aware that there is something greater out there that is watching over us. However, true spirituality can come into contact with us simply whenever I am face to face with nature, or in certain places that remind me how insignificant we are in the universe. Strangely, it is at the precise moment when we experience how small we are that life itself seems to fill with meaning, and so do we.

I reflected on these 4 points and reviewed my year. I concluded 'twas a good year. But there is always room for improvement this year.