Reflections 2007 (article) by Katharine C. Giovanni on AuthorsDen

2007. What an incredible year it was! The details will fade, but the feelings will last forever. 2007. What an incredible year it was! I could go on and on about what happened to Ron and I this past year, but I won't. Instead I would like to urge all of you to quietly reflect on the past year and see if you can put everything in perspective. Let's take a look at what happened ... You grew. You expanded yourself. You tried new things. You were healthy. You were sick. Some things you tried failed and you fell. You picked yourself up and tried again. Some things you tried were stupendous. You smiled and kept walking and then tried again. Babies were born. Some people we loved got sick. Some people we loved died. You fought with someone and got angry. You were at peace. Some of you started a new business. Others were "liberated" from a job and moved onto to something better. We had fun. We loved. We got sad. We still loved. We made new friends. We lost some old ones. We loved again. Now if you look at the list and think about it, what is the one thing that 2007 gave to you? Think about it. I can wait. Every answer will be different. Just like no two snowflakes are alike, no two answers to this question will be alike. Sure 2007 gave us some very nasty things, but I don't want you to focus on that. It's too easy to focus on the negative. Rolls easily off our tongues right? It's easy to talk about the hurtful things. I don't want to focus on that right now. I want you to turn around and look at the other side. I want you to list all the positive things that you learned! The things that made you pause, look deep within yourselves, and then allowed you to move forward. My answer? I learned about love. I learned how to accept people for who and what they are. I learned to never give up! I learned to keep walking no matter what happens. I learned that change is beautiful and leads to even better things if you allow it to. I learned how to forgive others. I learned how to forgive myself. I learned about love. I learned that we might forget the details about what happened but the feelings will stay with us for a lifetime. In fact, let me say that last one again ... The details will fade, but the feelings will last forever. So remember the love. Remember the peace. Remember the beauty. Forget the rest. They are not worth remembering. Fear is simply ... False Evidence Appearing Real Forget the bad stuff that happened. Learn from it and move on. I know it's hard, but it's worth it in the end. Forgive those that wronged you. Forgive yourself as well if you need to. Then move on from it all. Turn your back on it and walk the other way, and please don't turn around and look back! Just walk. One step at a time if you have to. Remember, as my good friend Connie Domino says ... forgiveness doesn't mean you want a relationship with them, it simply means you wish to move on. Forgiveness is selfish. You do it for you, not for them. You don't have to remember the words that were spoken in 2007, nor do you have to remember the details. The good, the bad and the ugly will all fade in time and you will be left remembering feelings. Choose to remember the positive ones! Choose to remember the feelings of love, kindness and compassion. Why? As I've said before, change the inside and your world will change on the outside. The outside reflects what is going on in the inside. Keep love on the inside, and love will appear on the outside. Remember the best thing that happened to you this past year and take the smile that comes to your face, and the warm feeling that appears in your heart, and start your new year off with those feelings. Start the year off with love and happiness! In the end, there is only one thing you should remember when you reflect on everything that happened in 2007 ... Remember the love. Happy 2008 everyone! Copyright 2007 by Katharine Giovanni About the Author: Katharine Giovanni, the world's leading international concierge training expert, has been training concierge for over 10 years. She is Triangle Concierge's senior trainer and speaker, and is the author of their best-selling book "The Concierge Manual". Katharine has traveled around the country teaching workshops to groups, individuals and corporations. She has appeared in dozens of newspaper articles, magazines, radio and TV shows around the country including ABC News Nightline, CBS News, ABC News, Delta Airlines Sky Radio, WOR Radio, the Washington Post, LA Times, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Women�s World Magazine, The New York Times and Conde Naste to name a few. A dynamic public speaker, Katharine has been a speaker at seminars and conferences around the country. Raised in New York City, Katharine has a B.A. from Lake Forest College and currently lives in North Carolina with her husband Ron and two children. Katharine is a member of the National Speakers Association. She can be reached through her websites at www.triangleconcierge.com and/or www.katharinegiovanni.com
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