Endings and Beginnings

“The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be the beginning.” IVY BAKER PRIEST

One year ends and another begins. It’s the way of the world. And it’s the way of our life. And, as always, we have choices as to how we view both the end and the beginning.

Are you looking back or are you looking forward? It’s important to take stock. In looking back on the past year, there may have been things that ended, for the good or bad. Perhaps it was a job or a friendship or even the loss of a loved one. The ending may have been your decision or events beyond your control.

This is where choices lie. Many of us grieve the ending of something. This isn’t bad in and of itself. Many endings deserve and need to be grieved. There is always loss and none of us likes to be at the mercy of others. But eventually, what matters is what lies ahead. What matters is the new beginning.

I’m certainly not saying it’s easy. Most of us recoil at changes that we didn’t plan. But when one plan ends, we can choose to get stuck or we can choose to look beyond. We can choose a new beginning.

The beginning of a new year always seems to bring about introspection and planning. My challenge to you, for this New Year, is to look at any of the endings you’ve had in 2006. Have you made conscious choices on how you plan to deal with them or are you stuck in unhealthy thinking? What can you do to bring about a new beginning? How can you use this experience to promote that new beginning? Most of all, even when you can’t control the outcome you can choose how to deal with it.