Confronting 2012

A New Year, a new month, a new day, a new moment in time.  This is a time for reflection,  examination and contemplation. Analyzing the "lessons learned," we plan for what's next.  We resolve that this year we will do life differently... better.   It is an annual ritual.  Is confrontation part of your process?  I wonder if I am alone.

Avoiding.  We try to avoid it because confrontation is...

• never pleasant
• seldom easy
• potentially damaging to our ego, relationships, plans, comfort
• nearly always unpredictable with a few unintended consequences 
• always a force for change - causing major shifts in the status quo 

Emoting.  Anticipating, let alone encountering, confrontation may generate... 

• alarm
• anxiety
• worry
• discomfort
• fear 

Hiding.  Confrontation lurks in...

• workplaces, 
• places of worship,
• halls of justice,
• homes, and 
• mirrors

Healing.  Confrontation can lead to a more optimal level of well-being.  Confrontation can be ...

• cleansing 
• painful
• reinvigorating 
• purposeful
• freeing

Telling.  For much of the year 2011, I was stuck.  It took a while to acknowledge that the "bonding agent" was fear.  The challenge was confronting the fear.  In the process, I battled physical, mental, financial and spiritual attacks.  My opponent stalked me during waking hours and taunted me when I dared to close my eyes, turning dreams into nightmares. Resorting to denials and outright falsehoods, I tried to hide and to runaway;  I yelled and I cursed;  I prayed and I pleaded.  I lost my pride, my strength, and my voice.   Only then did I stop to confront... you guessed it, me.

Desiring to be well,  I stepped outside my comfort zone.  I learned several lessons:

• Tell the truth to self about self.  Call it out!  Say "Oops!  Ouch!  OMG!  then choose to let go of those people, places, articles and attitudes which do not serve you well.  
• Forgive self and others.  All are accountable for the consequences of their own actions.
• Be thankful.  There's now scientific evidence of the healing effect of gratitude. 
• Practice the presence of God.  Receive the gifts of love, power, and discipline.  You will see the invisible and do the impossible, even in the face of fear.
• Affirm the divine that is within. Write! Sing! Speak! Post! Walk! Dance! LOL! Repeat!

No resolutions for me in 2012.  Just a reminder and affirmation:  I AM FEARLESS.

Confront what you must in 2012 in order to move away, move forward, move over, move up, move out of your own the way.  Let's get moving to an optimal level of total wellness.