The New Year is always a good time to reflect on the lessons of the past, and yet put the past in the past.
The past is over. There is nothing you can do about it. But today, and every day, is a chance to create your reality.
The time is ripe for opportunity if you are open to the possibility. And the first step is to identify what it is you really want.
What do you want to achieve in 2007? What dreams and goals would you like to see happen for you? For your children?
And what do your children really want for themselves? Do they believe they can make it happen?
The world is full of opportunity. The only difference between wishing for it and achieving it is whether we take action.
For instance, a wonderful analogy I heard involved a loaf of bread.
Basically, the world is full of an unlimited supply of flour, water and yeast, all the ingredients needed for anyone to make bread.
However, while the opportunity is there, it will not come true by wishing or by believing that you are not capable of making bread.
The only way the bread will be made is by taking all the ingredients that are already out there waiting for you, mixing them together and baking them in the oven. Voila! You have bread.
How did that happen? You made it happen.
You did not sit on the sidelines watching others grab the ingredients and make bread, and you didn't talk yourself out of it because it might not come out very well.
You seized the opportunity, took the ingredients that are out there for the taking and made bread.
Whatever you want for this new year is out there for the taking. The only thing you need to do is go out there, seize hold and make it happen.
I believe this is true in all aspects of your life including your health, wealth and the future of your children. Hoping and wishing won't do it. Neither will believing that what you want is impossible.
Reaching for your dreams is what life is all about. And believing that you are capable of making your dreams happen is the first step in accomplishing your goals. If you believe you can't do it, you are right. If you believe you can do it, you are right again. Which lesson do you want to teach your children?
Living life with a positive attitude makes all the difference in the world. And creating an atmosphere of positive thinking in your home teaches your children the power of believing in themselves.
Believe it and you can achieve it. Don't believe it, and it will always only be a disappointing dream.
What will your children write on the blank pages of their opportunity book?
Will they write about what they will achieve? Or will they write about dreams that they don't believe will ever be realized?
Will they seize the ingredients of their dreams? Or watch others bake all the bread?
Clinical psychologist, Vicki Panaccione, Ph.D., has a specialized practice in Melbourne, working exclusively with children, adolescents and families.
To contact Dr. Vicki regarding her workshops, seminars or publications, call (321)-722-9001 or visit www.askdrvicki.com.