2011 is almost over, are you wrapping things up or starting over or rolling over and continuing into 2012?

TRUTH is (regarding the title question), life encompasses all of the above. When a year draws to a close, it's easy to think of it in terms of reviews, wraps, and retrospectives, and there's always a need for that kind of thing but it remains a fact of the modern times (collegiate or professional) that there is no longer an "off-season", only PRE-season.

As I sit here and write my last blog post for As We PROGRESS for 2011, I can't help but to state the obvious, “time really flies".  I stare in awe at how quickly my younger siblings are growing and how fast life progresses. During the year, finding time to reflect is very difficult considering all of the ‘uber-important stuff’ that we’re involved in on a daily/hourly/secondly basis. When I finally have some down time to reflect on how fast life moves, I can finally take notice of some of the constants in life.

The one constant that really occupied my thoughts today is CHANGE. Change is now my constant in life. In the past, I’d resist change and fight it. I mean, who really likes change? Change is unpredictable, absolute, and full of unknowns. Change is downright scary and devoid of any real answers about what will happen in the future. Life would be so much easier if everything just stayed the same. As I grow older (and hopefully wiser), I’ve come to accept, and even embrace, change. Over the past few years, everything that I have known has, in fact, changed. My life, in one form or another, has changed. At this point in my life, change is excruciating, painful, exciting and full of surprises. I have accepted change, warts and all, and embrace it. Change and I now are starting to understand each other.

So, now what? Well in essence the year is over. Now is a good time to pause and reflect on the past, make new determinations and plans for the coming year and just be grateful for what we have been given.

I hope you are not being a ‘Grinch’ this year and have embraced the Christmas spirit. Isn’t it good to use this time to congratulate ourselves on areas (no matter how small), we have moved forward. I am not sure what kind of year you have had but if it did not go as planned, this is the perfect time to reflect on the positives and negatives, most importantly forgive yourself and others for anything you might be bitter about and move into the new year with a great attitude. Move forward with determination and a positive spirit, always remembering to reach out and help where you are able.

As I reflect on my life this past year, I think of all the changes and all the things that have not changed. This is the time to take the pulse of where you are physically and emotionally with your experiences, to determine the status of the relationships you have maintained, to analyze your accomplishments and to determine what is in store for you in the coming new year.

We often find ourselves pondering goals for the new year, whether it is to become more productive, let go, exercise more, organize aspects of your life, find a new job, or become more involved in the community, the objective is to “jump start” the new year with excitement, activity, purpose and a plan.

Most of us don’t like to think about where we have been especially if we have had a bad experience. We don’t like to think about where we are now as it is heartbreaking. We don’t like to think about where we are going as it is truly the unknown.  But the end result is the uniting of yesterday, today and tomorrow into a new future where there is a place for hope, and a new beginning.

We are all in the mind-set of starting a new year with purpose; continuity, commitment and community are a part of our daily life, but we often lose sight of what our surroundings offer when we are overwhelmed with problems in our lives. However, each new year presents challenges that we will all endure but also an opportunity to reflect, grow and reach further than the previous year.

Wrap up, start over, roll over and continue! Faint not and never give up!

Best wishes for 2012.

-- Ashley