30 December, 2015
Dear Universe,
As is my custom, I am sitting to write to you today with a chai latte by my side, soft music in the background, the Christmas tree still lit and beautiful beside me, and a sense of satisfaction and reflection in my heart. It is time to share with you, Dear Universe, my experience of this last year, and to set the stage for the year to come.
I am not going to lie: It has been a hell of a year.
If I had to sum it up, I would say it was a year of good-byes. In fact, there was so many of them that by November, I was almost laughing about it (almost.)
It began with the leaving of my colleague from our shared office space in February. And then in April began an unprecedented series of team losses: my assistant of three years and even my cleaning lady quit! My long-time partner (and great love of my life) left on a who-knows-how-long motorcycle journey across North and Central America in the summer, and three friends died in rapid succession: two from cancer, one from a massive stroke. And when in November I bid adieu to a long-time client and friend as her business takes her off in new directions, I did think I was cried-out.
I also chose to wind down my homeopathic practice this year, opted not to join the regulatory college in Ontario, and said good-bye to what has been a large part of my life and my career.
There were so many good-byes, and there was much grieving.
And then, when I met with my acupuncturist and dear friend Lindsay at the very end of November I said: “I think it’s done. I think that the grieving is over.” And we began the very solemn and sacred task of transitioning me to my next phase.
In the last four weeks I have been quiet in my mind. Loss creates void, and a void, by its very nature, will be filled.
But here’s where this year was so very different for me: I did not rush to fill the voids that were created, not the ones left by team members (I took months before hiring a new assistant) nor the ones left by the leaving of my partner (still single!), nor even the one left from the loss of my long-term client.
No, this year was very different.
I simply allowed the voids to exist, and I mindfully filled the ones that I chose to fill when I chose to fill them…and left the others empty for now.
I have been quiet in my mind, waiting, watching, mindfully aware that this place in which I am is one of Transition, and that while in the past this quiet stage has scared me and I have rushed to fill it with noise, I am not doing that this time.
From the quiet have arose some ideas, some thoughts, some concepts. And some of those have been fleeting, while others have held fast and it is those that I have gathered together like wisps of wool to begin the task of weaving the tapestry that will be 2016.
2016 will be the Year of Commitment. Most specifically it is the year that I will commit to my Self in a deeper way, to my children, to my business and to my clients, to my health, and to my own financial security and stability.
2016 will be the Year of Consistency of Action to support my commitments.
2016 will be the Year of Connection in which I strive to connect more deeply with my self and those near and dear to me.
And 2016 will be the Year of Contentment. A word that has often made me think of “boredom,” I now see the virtues of feeling content, and so I will embrace it with joy in my heart.
Dear Universe, it has been a challenging year, and looking back, I feel nothing but pleasure in having not only survived it, but come out of it feeling wiser, stronger, and all the more certain of my path before me.
I am, as ever, deeply grateful for the love and support of my family and my friends.
I give thanks to my clients for the honour of supporting them.
And I thank you, Dear Universe, for the opportunities to see that, at every turn, I am exactly where I need to be.
With love in my heart,
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Rebecca Liston helps her clients predict, pivot, and compete in an increasingly complex global marketplace. Her clients quickly uncover the root of their challenges and know the actions to take to overcome them. A six-time nominee for the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Award, Rebecca combines business strategy with intuition, giving her clients the edge on forward-thinking, elegant answers to their most complicated problems. Her clients are entrepreneurs with CEO-mindsets and executives with entrepreneurial instincts. She is based in London, Ontario. What if you could get the answer to your biggest business challenge, in one sitting? Visit rebeccaliston.com to find out more.
