Best Year Yet

In 2003, I started a program to help me set some direction to my life. Georgiana and I traveled to the hills of North Carolina and worked on a plan to have the Best Year Yet. While the plan for the year has often taken detours, it is a way for me to take a inventory and set some general directions. The monthly version of the plan gets more specific – dates, numbers, specific targets etc. so that it becomes much more action and less just words on a page. To develop the plan, I take a short look back at accomplishments, disappointments, and what did I learn and then move forward to guidelines, awareness of how I limit myself, personal values, top 10 roles, top 10 personal goals and how can I support myself to assure achievement. (www.bestyearyet.com)
As the years have gone by and I look back on my BYY, slowly I shifted toward myself rather than "world peace". In this past year, I have recognized that I can only change me and can hardly make a dent in my community or world by going out and trying to make significant changes. I can live my life and maybe I will be an example or not. I also recognized that I needed to make some significant changes in the focus of my life. I am not happy in my surroundings and in what I am doing as I live my life. I don't like the word retire and am replacing it with retrying... Without the constraints of the "9-5", I am freer to pay attention and show up for my own life. The back burner has only so much fuel and I don’t want to waste a minute of it doing things that don’t feel good while doing them. I had an "ah moment" when putting the word support into my thinking. It was always there when I had my awareness and mindfulness persona in gear, but the “support” has been the missing link. Does whatever I am doing support me, make me more ready and able to live life, is not distracting or draining my energy away from my life experience and purpose. It was easy to give up drinking to much when I said.. I don’t like how I feel in the morning. It makes doing dishes easy.... does leaving the dish make me feel good.. does finding the dirty dishes later add to my life joy... easy answer. I have enjoyed the working zen practice. I am happy tending to the daily life needs at a retreat. I get into scrubbing the refrigerator grates, I am happy, take joy in the task and the product. When I leave a retreat, I am firm about living this life forever until the first rest stop. Life is always so simple. Rather than bringing my life to the monastery, just bring the practice to the home. I have a refrigerator, knock yourself out. The difference is my feeling that this will support my life. I will have joy looking in the refrigerator. Do everything in a zen way. I did not need a paradigm change as much as a few words in my conscious awareness... Does whatever or whoever support me... and if not, just drop it.. ..
So the following is my

BEST YEAR YET

August 15, 2009-2010

• GUIDELINES
  
  LET GO AND LIVE AWAKE AND AWARE
  ENJOY THE RIDESTAY FIRMLY IN TOUCH WITH MYSELF
  
  
  NEW PARADIGM or VISION
  
  I AM MY OWN BEST FRIEND - I AM WILL SUPPORT MYSELF
  
  
  MAJOR FOCUS
  
  BONNY'S BUDDY
  
  TOP TEN GOALS

TO DIVERSIFY MY LEARNING BY FOLLOWING MY INTEREST

TO LIVE SUPPORTED – IF IT DOESN’T SUPPORT – DROP IT

TO REMAIN AWAKE AND AWARE OF MY NEEDS

TO PROVIDE MYSELF WITH QUALITY TIME

TO ESTABLISH A PERSONAL PRACTICE THE SUPPORT

TO HAVE REGULAR POSITIVE CONTACT WITH PEOPLE AND PLACES THAT SUPPORT

TO RELEASE PERSONAL ITEMS THAT A NOT LONGER SUPPORTIVE TO MY LIFE AND DO NOT ADD TO MY WELLBEING

TO GIVE TIME TO MY JOURNAL – WRITING AND PICTURES

TO REMAIN STRONGLY CONNECTED TO MY HEART DREAMS