In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol the central character, Ebenezer Scrooge was visited by three ghosts on the eve of Christmas: the ghost of Christmas past, the ghost of Christmas present and the ghost of Christmas yet to come.
If you are familiar with the story (surely you have at least seen the Disney and Muppets versions?) the three ghosts show Scrooge the errors of his ways and how his miserly attitude affects others and ultimately, leaves him alone, unloved and unfulfilled.
Ashamed of how he has behaved and worried about his bleak outlook Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning a reformed man, full of Christmas spirit and care for his fellow man, particularly his overworked and underpaid employee, Bob Cratchit.
This year, if you were to be visited by the ghosts of Christmas past, the ghost of Christmas present and the ghost of Christmas yet to come what would you change in your life to prevent your future being full of regret?
To be clear, I’m not suggesting your behaviour is like that of Ebenezer Scrooge (though maybe it is) but we all have behaviours we would like to change.
We can’t change the past but we can affect what our future will look like. Imagine then, you are drawing your last breath what needs to happen so that you look back on a fulfilling life without regret?
What have you experienced?
How have you improved your current self?
What positive effect have you had on your own life and the lives of others?
What legacy are you leaving?
As the philosopher, Pericles said “What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others”
When I see new clients I like to ask what changes they would like to meet in the following areas:
* Family & relationships
* Work
* Life
* Health
* Community
* Legacy/Charity
* Money
There might not be an answer for you within each subtopic but by taking time to think about what is important to you, you can reflect on whether you are living life in a manner that is consistent or inconsistent with what matters most.
If you do see any ghosts this festive period my first advice would be to take it easy on the eggnog.
