When life is complex and complicated, it may seem as if bigger, bolder and faster is the way to go, if we want to achieve goals and live better lives. However, in the grand scheme of life in the
21st century, often, the simplest and gentlest approach often leads us
to what is truly significant. As the New Year unfolds, let us adopt a
slow, steady, focused and gentle approach, to a life that is full and
satisfying. 
Nurture the inner life
There is much in the world to enliven us, inspire us and equip us to
live in it. But it is the truth, the strength and depth of the inner
life that helps us to deal with our issues and live life fully.
Spiritual beliefs and practices form the foundation of the inner life
and make it flow in the dark periods we encounter from time to time. So
that is where we should begin. That is where we should return day after
day to ensure that the foundation of our inner lives does not grow
brittle, crumble and render the inner and the outer life unmanageable,
useless and empty.
Cultivate rich relationships.
We may be quite adept at attracting relationships. While that may be admirable, it is the cultivation of those early beginnings that ensures the richness of those relationships.
Three tools that help to cultivate and enrich relationships:
Time – precious, regular and quality time.
Words – honest, gentle and compassionate words.
Actions – genuine, selfless and decisive actions.
Craft big dreams
We cheat ourselves when we craft dreams according to who we are today. We cheat ourselves when we craft dreams based on our current capabilities, strengths or life histories. We cheat ourselves when we
craft dreams based on the perceptions of others. Consequently, we are
likely to craft small dreams, short dreams, too-easy dreams, impersonal
dreams and dreams that don’t challenge, stretch or fulfil us. To live
full lives, we should dream dreams that exceed our present realities,
that dangle beyond the boundaries set by our fears, self-doubt, tunnel
vision and other peoples’ misconstrued perceptions of who we are and
what we should do with our lives. Let us dream dreams that ride high on
our greatest passion and glow on the scale of our most vivid
imaginations.
Be aware
At the heart of a full life is the practice of being aware – of our surroundings, our feelings, the intricacies of the tasks we undertake on a daily basis, how what we believe impacts our life, our
work and our relationships with friends and strangers alike.
Undoubtedly, the fast-paced and crowded life we live may make being
aware seem like idling. After all, we may have written or mental lists
of “things to do,” “places to go” and “people to see”. It might appear
irresponsible to put all other thoughts on the back burner of our minds,
while we take notice of and appreciate all that goes into a mundane
task.
Being aware requires the ability to step back from the frenetic thoughts that monopolise our minds even while we are engaged in the most thoughtful and meaningful activity. A sustained approach that is slow,
steady, focused and gentle can help to build us up, ground us and equip
us to deal with the challenging circumstances that will undoubtedly
come, this year as well as on the long journey of our lives. Happy New
Year and journeying mercies on your way to a full life.
