7 Important Things to Reflect upon during the Holiday Season ...

1. Happiness

One of the most important things to reflect upon during the holiday season is how happy you are and what would make you happier. Many people complain about their lives and forget how happy they could be if they have found a purpose in life. Happiness is subjective and has different meanings to each person, so this is why it is essential for you to set a goal and find means to reach it.

2. Gratitude

Think about everything that has happened to you in the past year and remind yourself of how lucky you are. Instead of complaining about what didn’t go so well or you wish you had, be grateful for being healthy and surrounded by great people. Be thankful for having access to things that we usually take from granted, like the Internet, which you are reading this article right now.

3. Service

Service is your contribution towards society or community. It does not need to be a financial contribution or donation. When you dedicate part of your time to unprivileged children or adopt a pet, you are already playing your role in society. Service means helping a stranger and providing without expecting anything in return. What is your level of service?

4. Friendship

The number of friends you have and the quality of your friendships are two different things. If you have five friends who you can blindly rely on, consider yourself one of the luckiest people in the world. If you don’t have this group of people yet, try your best to build this circle of close friends rather than collecting quantity. During this holiday season, call up your best friends and tell them how much their friendship means to you.

5. Letting Go

I used to be very attached to people and things, but I have been letting things go, and it feels good! There is no need to keep old things or bad relationships because of comfort or fear. You could start practicing by giving away things you like and think of how someone else can benefit more from what used to be yours.

6. Forgiveness

When we are hurt, we tend to feel desolated. Sometimes, when the person who has hurt us does not feel bad about the situation or even worse, when the other party does not ask for forgiveness, we still have to forgive them in our hearts. We are only ready to move on when we are able to forgive. This process is a bit tricky, as it is a one-sided decision and we are the only one responsible for changing the situation.

7. Hope

It is normal to feel hopeless at times, especially if your country’s economy or politics is not going well. However, we ought to remember what inspires us and makes the world a better place. We cannot always rely on external factors to be at peace. The end of the year is the perfect moment to reflect on your ideal lifestyle and ideas to make changes, so having a little bit of hope will do no harm.

These are my important things to reflect upon the holiday season that I treasure and believe are essential in my life. I wish you a lovely Christmas and all the best in the year to come. Also, I would love to know what you have been reflecting on towards the end of 2014.