Fill Your Own Gift Basket

    It's traditional to look back at the end of the year, remembering those special moments, the wonderful people who've come into your life, and all you've achieved.

Reflect on 2010 with the goal of finding reasons to celebrate the year. Sure, there were probably disappointments along the way, but you had successes too. Celebrate! Concentrate on how far you've come. You may not be exactly where you hoped to be by the end of this year, but you're farther along than you were in 2009, aren't you? We all have some things left undone, but that just means we have something to look forward to accomplishing in the future. Celebrate!

Focus on all that you have to CELEBRATE about 2010. Absolutely no beating yourself up because you didn't do every single thing on your "To Do" list allowed.  No siree! It's time to take a look at your "TA DA!" list -- all the things you did this year to keep moving forward toward your goals.

Christmas is the season of giving and it's time to give yourself a gift. Imagine an enormous, gorgeous basket with your name and a huge red bow on it. Right now the basket is empty, but in just a few minutes it will be filled to overflowing.

Think about all that went right this year, your successes (big and small), every step you took in the direction of your dreams. Each of these is a fabulous gift that belongs in your basket.

• What life lessons did you learn? Growing into our brighter futures means that we keep learning all the time. All those life lessons are more gifts.

• What did you do to step out into your future in a bigger and bolder way than last year? Every step, every positive action counts. Oooh, more presents!

• Moving out of a familiar comfort zone is part and parcel of ReLaunching Your Life. It's not easy but you went ahead and did it anyway. What did you do to stretch and grow a bit? Your gift basket is really starting to fill up now, isn't it?

• What new ideas did you try out? Just being brave enough to try something new is a success. Congratulate yourself and wrap that courageous behavior up to put in the basket too.

• How about the fun times you've had this year? Taking time for fun, sharing some laughter with people you care about, doing something just because you enjoy it is a cause to celebrate. It means you're showing a little love to yourself. More gifts.

• How did you take better care of yourself in 2010? Did you eat healthier meals? Get enough sleep? Start an exercise program? Spend a little extra time pampering yourself?

I'll bet your basket is overflowing with all the wonderful gifts you didn't even realize you gave yourself this year. Every time you remember another success, wrap it up and put it in your basket. Cherish each gift. It's helping you shape the future you want.