Happy Reflection Day

I just celebrated the gift of another year. Most people will call this my birthday but I prefer to call it my Reflection Day.

It’s a time to ponder on how things are and to determine if there are any changes I need to make in any areas of my life.

I think about what I would like to birth in the new year – friendships, ideas, initiatives, or personal projects. I consider my legacy, what remains outstanding and needs to be done.

I assess the needs around me and the problems that are yet to be solved and wonder which ones have my name on them as the problem solver. I ponder if I am living as though we are in the last days or if I’m living as if I have all the time in the world.

I reflect on the blessings of my relationship with God, family, friends, classmates, colleagues, neighbours, and faith families.

They have brought different shades of colour and beauty, love, grace, compassion and friendships into my life.

I am indebted to the readers of my PurposefulMe Blog and especially grateful for those who share it to get the messages of hope, encouragement and inspiration out to people who need them.

I have heard stories of how the atmosphere in a work place changed when someone decided to stop complaining after reading a post.

Others have been inspired to stop procrastinating and go after their dreams. These stories make it all worthwhile and inspire me to be better in all that I do.

My sister recently spotted a man reading my first book, Flying High in a Polka Dot Dress, while walking along a busy street in Ilorin, Nigeria where I grew up.

She stopped her car and ran up to catch up with the man to ask him why he was reading and walking.

His response was that he just couldn’t put the book down. He described how inspirational he found it and talked about buying a spare copy because it was a book he wanted to return to again and again.

She didn’t miss the opportunity to tell him to check out the new book, ‘The Purposeful Life Project’. This story put a smile on my face and made me even more determined to get the word or the books out there. Both books are available on Amazon.

Recently a friend described our lives as being like a long string of thread or a tapestry that’s being woven if you like.

God is the master creator and designer but at any point in time, we can choose to break that thread by not saying yes to the opportunities and contacts that are being woven in.

We are interconnected with other people who come across our paths at different times and seasons. Sometimes they drop an idea, sometimes we drop an idea that transforms lives.

A seemingly random connection opens the door to the next opportunities or helps make the next dream a reality.

My reflection would be incomplete without a thought for those who are no longer with us.

I wonder, ‘who is still missing them, how are they missed, what size of vacuum did they leave behind, have they been forgotten or are they still remembered daily?

In the wake of the recent plane crash in Addis Ababa, shooting in Christchurch, and the many deaths in Nigeria due to collapse of houses, political thuggery, poor infrastructures, ethnic intolerance and religious terrorism, many lives have been pointlessly lost. We all mourn great losses to humanity.

My questions to us are ‘What does this mean for us and what must we do’? We can all do with some reflection and that’s my challenge for us this week.

We can all do something starting with speaking out against all injustices, being better examples and demanding excellence of ourselves and others.

So as I celebrate a new year, I’m also praying for a better world and healing across all our lands. Thank you for reading and sharing my posts. See you next week.