Why You Should Use This Time Of The Year As A Time For Reflection

December for me is a time for reflection. I look at what the year has been like, where I am personally and in business. What mistakes I have made and try to learn from them.

Also it is a time to look forward to the new year, map out plan, write down goals and more importantly construct a plan of action to make sure that I hit the targets that I have set for myself.

This year, 2016, has been one of the best years and also one of the worst years of my life.

Looking back to January, my wife and I had sold our house and we were waiting for it all to complete and go through. We has anticipated that would happen around the end of February.

As we all know selling houses is not the most straightforward thing, things crop up, deals nearly fall through, only to be resurrected at the last moment. We had that happen a few times, stress levels were high, other plans that we were making hinged on the sale of the house.

Finally in late April it was completed. We moved out of the house that my wife had been in for over 30 years, for me it had been 13 years. A sad time but in many ways a very exciting time.

The reason for the excitement was that we had been planning to relocate to our home in Cyprus and now the time was getting nearer and nearer.

There was a lot going on around the first four months of the year. As I said the house sale was going through, we were arranging international shipping of our possessions, it was not as though we were moving just around the corner.

Our new life was waiting for us 2000 miles away on a beautiful, sun drenched island in the Mediterranean sea.

I had sold my business, a cleaning business that I had operated for over 25 years. I had around 200 customers to say goodbye and thank you to. Some of those I had known for 20+ years.

There were a few lumps in my throat and many tears from a lot of my customers, I had built up friendships with them and when I had cleaned my last window I hung up my squeegee for the last time.

My wife had a similar scenario, she worked for a food distribution company. She had over 300 clients, most of them she looked upon as close friends. It was hard for her and she also had times when she shed many tears.

But we had a whole new chapter of our lives that was due to start on Saturday April 30th 2016.

Leading up to that date we had many farewells, neighbours, friends and family to say not good to bye but see you in a few weeks when we come back to visit. It was still hard though.

I have 3 grown up sons from a previous marriage. Three young men who I am immensely proud of and love with all my heart. Never the less when it came to say “bye for now” it was very emotional. These 3 strapping young men are still my little boys.

All the emotions had come to a crescendo, our whole life was changing and I must admit there were times when I was not dealing with it that well.

Then on Friday 29th April at around 9.45am our whole world changed. It was the day before we were due to fly out to Cyprus. We had just moved out of our house and staying at my fathers.

My dear father suddenly passed away. I walked into his bedroom and found him slumped over his bed. They say that sometimes you feel life stand still. It did at that moment.

I looked down on him and then it dawned on my what had happened. In my heart I knew that he had left us, but we had to try. We called the emergency services who were there in under 5 minutes. They tried their hardest for 30 minutes, but then they had to conceded defeat.

My dad had gone. He was my mentor, my protector when I was a young boy. He taught me all the life skills, morals and values that he had himself. He was and still is the greatest man that I have ever known. I have said on many occasions that if I can be half the man he was then I would be doing ok. I hope that I live up to that.

So our plans changed, instead of relocating we were planning a funeral. We had to make arrangements for dad’s property, we re-scheduled our flights for the end of May after we had paid our respects to my Dad.

It was a hectic month, so much to sort out, many tears, many laughs as we remembered my Dad and my Mum who had passed away nearly 5 years previous. After the funeral we had a second round of goodbyes, it was a sense of deja vue.

Then the time came, May 29th 2016 my brother took my wife and I to London Stansted airport. It was a Sunday, the sun was shining but my mind was in other places.

As we got out of his car I looked at him and we both broke down. I love my brother so very much and I could not hold it together. If anything we had become even closer due to Dad’s passing. We had spent a lot of time together over the previous 4 weeks and it really hit me.

After a few minutes hugging each other we said our farewells, we told each other we loved each other. He drove off and it took me about 10 minutes before I could enter the terminal.

Anyway we boarded the plane to our new life. My plan was to scale up my internet business that I had been working on for a while. The reality was that we were going to another country, we both had given up well paid careers, as soon as we touched down at Paphos airport we were starting again.

That did not phase me, I had done it before so I could do it again. The first four weeks were really hard for me. I still had the raw emotions of what had happened to my Dad running through my veins.

After those initial 3-4 weeks I started to settle down then we had another piece of bad news. My elderly dog Sash had to be put to sleep. She was 15 and had been deteriorating in health for around 12 months. That is why we did not take her to Cyprus. The journey would have probably killed.

She went to live with my Father in law and the plan was that when we came back to the UK then we would go and visit her. Sadly we did not see her again.That made me feel guilty but I know that we had loved and looked after her for nearly 14 years. I still miss my little furry friend. She is a screen saver on one of my computers and she will always be.

From July onwards my business has really started to kick in and gain some traction. I have formed a business relationship and we are developing a whole range of information products which will really develop in 2017.

It has been really full on for the last 5 months or so and I am excited to think about what is going to happen in 2017.

I am planning to create my own products and with my wife we are going to set up a whole new e-commerce business together. She has set up her own mobile hairdressing business so we are going to be very busy.

That is the good thing about working for yourself. You can plan your future and your destiny is in your own hands. Not at the hands of an employer who can take the rug from under your feet at anytime.

So it is December 6th 2016, Christmas is just around the corner. We are flying back to the UK to see family and friends for 6 days next week. We are coming back to Cyprus for Christmas and we are bringing my wife’s Dad back with us.

It will be strange. Our first Christmas in Cyprus, the tree has just gone up in our apartment. Christmas morning I will have time to think about my Mum & Dad, the first time that I have not seen them or spoken to them on Christmas morning. No doubt I will have a few tears but I will raise a glass to them and tell them I love them.

Then the new year is just around the corner. 2017 is going to be a good year and I will do everything in my power to make it so.

So use this time as a time of reflection. Think of the people who you love and what you want the new year to bring to you. I am very fortunate. I love my wife dearly and I have a wonderful family. Life has been terrible at times this year but in general I have got a wonderful life that I will never take for granted.

I wish you all the best for 2017.

To your success.

Pete Harris

Digital Marketer & Home Business Coach

Six Figure Mentors Elite Member

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