Last night I had my first session in our new offices in Haymarket. It was a busy and exciting day for all of us. As is always the case with moving there were some unexpected glitches … like the elevator to our third floor office being out until the morning we officially opened up. But everyone from Llouana (my business partner and fellow therapist) to our property manager and his crew (Thanks Bob, Edie, & Carlos!) were phenomenal and by 5pm the office was fully functionally, mostly furnished and ready for clients. After I finished my last session I met my husband for a late dinner and first day celebration. It was nice to catch up with him for an hour outside of the house. When I arrived he asked me how it felt to have my first session in the new office. And suddenly I realized that it felt just like it always felt when I see clients. There are ups and downs in therapy but in general I almost always feel hopeful and amazed and the power of human spirit.
With all the recent changes this holiday season I was really caught up, as most of us are this time of year, with the newness of things. It’s wonderful to see the possibilities of a fresh year and I love to see so many people setting goals and making plans to improve themselves, their relationships, and their lives. In fact goal setting is always a theme of my work at the start of a new year. Yet, last night I was reminded that in the midst of all of our new year resolutions there is value in appreciating the things that we don’t want to change. Whether it is our family relationships, the satisfaction we find in our career, or the joy of watching our children grow, there is much in the coming year that we hope won’t change.
Goal setting and taking stock of our lives is an important part of motivating ourselves to grow and mature. Usually part of the process of goal-setting (which I’ll talk about in another post soon) is evaluating what we want to be different in our life. But today I want to encourage you to take a different approach. Why not take some time to think about those areas in your life that are already going great? Is there something you can learn about yourself and others if you just stop and look at the ways in which life is going so well.
As a therapist, my personal focus is always on how to make things better, more manageable, more fulfilling. It is easy for me to lose sight of the many things that simply dont need fixing. But its dangerous to focus so much on improvements that you forget about the joy that already exists in your life. So this new year, I am resolving to keep some things the same. What about you? Are there areas in your life that bring you peace and joy? Is there a relationship that comforts you or a child that inspires you? Why not start this year by giving thanks for those things that are already right where you want them to be.