The New Year prompts much discussion around resolutions and goal-setting for many people. But I view this time of year as an ideal time for questions not answers. The quiet of the winter’s snow and the lull after the holiday rush provides a space for reflection if you use it with that in mind. I put away holiday gifts and minimize clutter in my household. And I tend to want to do the same for my heart and mind. What clutter do I want to clear away? What do I need to let go of from the past year to start fresh this year?

The essential pause means spending time breathing; spending time without agenda; spending time allowing for whatever emerges. Renewal often comes by spending time in nature so go on a walk in the cold, fresh air. Take your time. Notice the quiet. Notice the trees. Notice the landscape, bare and beautiful. Become aware of your breathing as you walk. Feel gratitude for every aspect of your life that is nourishing.

At home, take time to gently reflect. You may journal or just sift through questions in your mind as you go about your day with the intentional to move with ease and gentleness. I love this powerful quote from Rainer Maria Rilke:

Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves, like locked rooms and like books that are now written in a very foreign tongue. Do not now seek the answers, which cannot be given you because you would not be able to live them. And the point is, to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps you will then gradually, without noticing it, live along some distant day into the answer.

Here are some of the questions I’ll be asking myself. Perhaps these will help you reflect too?

• How will I renew my heart and spirit this season so that I begin the new year fresh and ready?
• What is weighing heavy on my heart? How can I allow myself to feel the sadness, hurt, or grief so that I can feel it through, care for my heart, and allow space for expression so that I no longer have to carry it?
• What values are most important to me and how am I living them? What values do I want to live more fully?
• What gives me the greatest sense of meaning and fulfillment?
• How do I want to contribute to others?
• What are the most important lessons I am trying to learn?
• What qualities do I admire in others that I want to cultivate in my own life?
• What relationships are challenging me the most? How can I better understand them and be compassionate about where those individuals are in their lives? How can I make the most of our relationship by learning from them?
• What healthy habits of the heart and mind do I want to cultivate this year?
• How will I enter this new year with intention?

I am also sharing below some of my most treasured books that challenge me, inspire me and provoke reflection.

The Adult Years – Mastering the Art of Self-Renewal by Frederick Hudson

This book, more than any other, clearly defines the various stages of development for adults. It helps readers draw from their own inner wisdom to guide their reflections before making decisions about major changes or life directions.

Transitions: Making Sense of Life’s Changes by William Bridges

William Bridges spent his life working to understand changes. Whether you are going through the birth of a new baby, a move, a job change or the death of a loved one, this book explains in simple yet brilliant terms how any person can understand the emotions they are undergoing, help ease the transition and launch a new life.

Daring Greatly – How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent and Lead by Brene Brown

Brene Brown, through her research and writings, puts complex concepts into practical, everyday terms helping individuals embark on their own hero’s journey. In this book, she teaches how to face down fears, guilt and shame to live with courage. Most importantly, she helps people become who they really are capable of being.

The Book of Awakening – Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have by Mark Nepo

Written by a poet and philoshoper, this day book provides endless wisdom and is a regular source of reflection for me. Drawing from cultural stories, mythology and his own personal experience of surviving cancer, Nepo provokes thought and raises ethical questions for consideration. And this Christmas, my husband gave me a corresponding card deck which I love!

I hope you take this opportunity for your own winter pause and ease into the New Year refreshed!