Dear Friends,

Last year, I did a blog series titled, “A New Year, A Creative New You”.  I’m going to revisit as well as update it a bit in hopes that we may inspire each other to use our creative talents throughout 2017.

Here is a link to Day 1 in 2016 – Reflection

So much happens in those 365 days that have just flown by.  (Side note:  This year, one of my resolutions is to spend time at the end of each month to document all the good things that happen throughout the month.)  For now though, sit down with pen and paper and take time to really reflect back over the course of 2016.  Here are some questions to ponder.

• What worked well in my life during 2016?
• What were lessons learned?
• What made me happy?
• What did I accomplish?
• What are my favorite memories?

Then think of the opposite because these are the things that we don’t want to repeat.  It is surprising how often we can repeat the negative in our lives.

• What didn’t work well in my life during 2016?
• What kept me from being happy?
• What is left unfinished?

You can think about all the above questions in a general context, but for the purposes here, look at it in the context of your creative time and projects.

As you write your answers.  Focus on the positive, the accomplishments, the favorite memories you had from using your creativity.  Did you start a new hobby or find a style of embroidery you just love doing?  Did you create some meaningful gifts for family and friends?  These are the things worth repeating and these are the things that we need to build into our lives.

Keep your pen and paper handy throughout the day and even week and add to it as I’m sure things will pop up into your thoughts about this past year.

Reflection and appreciation of all the good in our lives is imperative.  The more I’ve read about this, the more I realize just how much this affects our health and also how being creative in ways that make us happy benefit our health by lowering our stress and anxiety which keeps our blood pressure down, it keeps our mental health in tip-top shape, and it also keeps our hormones in balance so that all our body systems work efficiently.

So in order to keep us happy and healthy, lets be creative in a really great way during 2017!!

Till tomorrow,

Nancy

be creative daily and live life beautifully