Why wait 'til midnight?

Christmas will be here within the blink of an eye, then another blink and it's New Year. This always feels to me like a good time, looking forward to another year; another of life's twists and turns. Life is a lovely journey if you are open to change, like the lovely quote: "There is something good in all seeming failures. You are not to see that now. Time will reveal it. Be patient" Why is it that we need to wait for the New Year to arrive, to make that resolution we know we won't keep? "I will start eating healthy in the new year", "I will go on a diet", "I will start exercising", "I will look for a new job"

Do we think that when the clock strikes 12 we suddenly will keep these promises to ourselves, just because its a New Years resolution?!

This is, of course, an attempt to make us feel happy but happiness comes from within. One thing I have learned; money can not buy happiness. Admittedly it can buy us life choices (and we need money to live), but as human beings we are never satisfied - the more money we have the more we want. Then one day, perhaps that money is taken from us, by way of redundancy among other things. Worse still something bad happens to our health or a family members health... bang there it is... money does nothing!

We can buy things, to give us a bit of temporary happiness, that lasts until what we've purchased doesn't do it for us anymore. We then look for something else, then something else, something is always missing... how do we become happy then?

First, like Buddha said, we need to wake up:

Life is not a dress rehearsal, we don't get another chance.

Loving ourselves so we can love others, being kind and compassionate to all living things is a lovely way to live life. After all, we are all here on Earth together, we all want the same thing - happiness.

We need to be happy with who we are, that's a good place to start to find true happiness. Smiling at someone is a small thing that can make all the difference to someone's day, you smile at someone they smile back like a reflection in a mirror, we all feel happy.

When we help someone without expecting anything back in return, the giving makes us feel happy. This, the wise say, is the way to freedom and happiness.

Being contented with life is what I'm trying to say, that doesn't mean we have to be happy with life's injustices, but to know always better times will come. Being happy with what we have in life, enjoying all things, even the simplest things, being in the present moment with what we are doing, doing the best we can at any given moment, going with life's flow, we will find happiness.

So lets not feel we need to make a resolution on New Year's Eve, lets make it now. Let's say we will wake up to enjoying the simple things in life, enjoying who we are without any change - accepting ourselves for who we really are. Being thankful for our health, thankful for the food we eat, thankful for love. Listen to music, dance while cooking... Or just dance, sing out loud, laugh out loud, let go of worry, abandon our fears, lets say we live each day as if its our last, let's look to see our reflection in the mirror and say - Hello stranger this is a great life lets enjoy it!

Om Shanti.