What's your theme for 2012?

I'm into marking time. Living life consciously with clear intention. Some would argue I live a little too consciously. Stop thinking so much and just see what happens, they nudge. Putting aside time for reflection on what has passed and what's to come feels like an important ritual. I find myself in Red Hill for the final week of 2011 with my man, Ford. An unexpected peaceful ending to a turbulent year. I sit down to start writing and reflecting on 2011, surrounded by windows looking out into nature, a splash of colour catches my eye. Through the window I see bright orange flowers illuminated by the fleeting glow of sunset. I follow my urge and find a collection of divine flowers that I hadn't properly noticed, despite being here for days.

As I return to my page to reflect, project, dream and write, I am reminded to keep my eyes open in 2012 for unexpected, hidden treasures that may appear transiently and peripherally and are worth going off piste to explore. And so, as I continue with this new year's reflection I am reminded to hold onto plans lightly and allow for life to surprise and take me on tangents that could lead me to new and wondrous places.

I was inspired by Chris Guillebeau's annual review where he shared his way of reflecting and projecting around the new year. If you don't know his blog, you should. The guy set a goal to travel to every country in the world and he is well on his way with fantastic insights to share. I digress. He poses two helpful questions to reflect on:

What went well in 2011?

What did not go well in 2011?

He also comes up with a theme for the new year, which I thought was fun. So here are my reflections and theme. I hope they inspire you to take the questions and reflect on your own year.

What went well in 2011?

• I fulfilled my 2010 goal of embracing yoga by starting my teacher training
• I decided to sit my final psychiatry exams despite my resistance and passed them
• I decided to embrace technology despite my resistance and have become social media literate (and overenthusiastic)
• I took up a social experiment by signing up to twitter and am now completely converted, having seen the new landscapes it has opened up for me in meeting new people and finding new ideas that are floating around the global internet stratosphere
• I had the courage to leave a relationship that didn't feel right
• I learned more about myself than I have in the past many years through the gut wrenching tsunami of a relationship breakup
• I had the courage to give that relationship a second chance and apply my learning in reuniting with my man
• I faced deep loneliness and realized it doesn't kill you
• I facilitated meditation classes at Simply Silence
• I continued writing this blog (albeit a little sporadically)
• Hosted a random lunch gathering with new people through eatwithme
• I went to some amazing conferences, Trampoline Day,Gathering '11, Creative innovation conference , TedxWomen, blogging conference, learned alot and met great people (@davidahood, @rosshill, @lukegrange, @linaMbirkou
• My short film Just Be Frank got a mention in the NYTimes and was screened at five film festivals in the USA.
• I started drinking Green Juices, learned about nutrition and managed to sustain 6kg of weight loss
• I stayed committed to therapy
• I found a great personal coach (Kate James) to support me on the path

What did not go well in 2011?

• I found it hard to manage time and stay connected with the wonderful people in my life.
• I disappointed a few friends (but repaired and have a stronger friendship for it)
• I failed an exam and had to continue studying all year despite my internal tantruming and deep desire to move on to more creative endeavors
• I still can't say that I LOVE my job (although I love lots of things outside of my job and seriously how could you love a job that requires 24hr shifts and deals with people that are being treated against their will by the mental health act legislation! It's a long means to a hopeful ends...where I get to practice psychiatry in a wholistic way with meditation, minimal drugs, tibetan chimes, incense, Rumi and Yoga)
• Didn't pick up my guitar again despite my desires
• My meditation-creativity workshop got postponed in the face of too much study
• Didn't read as many fiction books as I'd hoped to read (although did read some inspiring non-fiction! Uncertainty, Making ideas happen etc)
• Didn't have as many random dinner parties as I would have liked.
• Didn't set up a regular women's meditation circle.

Someone once told me that it's best not to talk about your goals until they are in action. So I'll keep my 2012 goals to myself for now but leave you with my theme:

" 2012: The year of creativity and execution "

#Hint: It's going to involve music, travel, photography, meditation, fundraising, writing, taking risks and attempting to fail more than usual...

" Success is going from failure to failure with enthusiasm"

~ Winston Churchhill

What went well and not so well for you in 2011? I'd love to hear...

What's your theme for 2012?

TEDx women arrives in Melbourne and a tribe is formed...

I am a complete TED-o-phile, possibly verging on evangelistic.

I have started prescribing TED talks alongside anti-depressants to my patients in the psychiatric clinic where I work. I believe inspiration is as powerful as medication.

I am spamming my colleagues in the hospital system with TED inspiration, because I know how the power of stories can change lives and hopefully institutions.

I delight in meeting people who have not come across the ocean of ideas at TED, knowing how excited they will be after their first click.

Melbourne birthed it's very own TEDx women event at the Wheeler Centre, midwifed by Emily Hehir, a young, feisty lawyer who managed to miraculously organize the event within a month of having the idea.

The theme of the night was self-determination and there were many moving personal stories which were shared. Emily set the tone of the night quoting "If you don't risk anything, you risk everything", and shared authentically and transparently about her own journey of chipping away at the perfectionistic drive and allowing her true self to emerge. Her authentic self bubbled out of her on stage as she enthusiastically and articulately introduced the speakers.

Caroline Counsel, family lawyer, started the night by pointing to the loss of power that many women experience within traditionally structured marriages. She took us on a guided tour of the aftermath of separation, what she called "the dead cow", describing the often complete loss of identity and self that women face and setting the scene for the importance of women's self-determination. She explained her collaborative practice of creating contracts between lawyers on each side to avoid the piranha like process that is settlement. Danica Lani , moved the audience with her short film "a gift to the world" which tells of her journey to shift her own self narrative from being a 'mistake in the world' to realising her potential and subsequently sparking a successful business. Asuka Hara, founder of Kinfolk cafe, gently voiced the power of free dance in supporting her movement from self consciousness and rigidity to a more fluid, authentic path. She challenged the audience with a question: What are your shoulds?The fixed "I" stories that hold you back from living true to your authentic self?"

Alexie O'brien, general manager from Lululemon, inspired the audience with her theories around relationship success and happiness. She talked of the "Hokie-Pokie" phenomenon ie. the one foot in one foot out (aka commitment avoidance) which she experienced in her own relationship and suggested the importance of jumping both feet in to allow the cultivation of one's vision. She emphasised the importance of knowing what you want and having a vision to work towards whether in relationship or career.

I was deeply moved by Camilla Maling, a yoga teacher amongst many other things, who shared profound insights from experiences of motherhood. She observed the force of self determination that manifested from her one year old daughter and related this to the force within all of us that can become obscured by conditioning and self doubt. I felt this woman's words emanate from her entire body, evidence of her commitment to Yoga. The body wisdom coming through her reached the audience and concluded with a deep meditation.

Meditation was a clear theme of the night, with Kalvinder Shields, an economics academic and meditation practitioner, floating onto stage in her kaftan, with an angelic voice spoke speaking of the importance of creating space to listen deeply, tune in and follow your truth. She called to redefine success as the degree to which one is comfortable within oneself, rather than blindly pursuing external status. She invited us to remember to ask ourselves how we really feel and then use spiritual practice as a compass to guide and support an alignment between one's inner and outer world.

Throughout the year I have experienced a clear sense of an emerging global movement. Having attended conferences and festivals such as Gathering 11, Creative Innovation conference, Australian Meditation conference, Burning Seed, and Peyo I am noticing the recurrence of ideas which were reinforced at TEDx women. The exponential technological changes in our world are impacting us in profound ways. There is a greater need for spirituality over status, community over individualism, self-narration over cultural conditioning, equality over discrimination, and awareness over ignorance. With the democratization of information that is occurring across the internet and through social media, we are finding our tribes faster and learning more than we ever could. Daniel Dennet, American philosopher states: What you can imagine, depends on what you know. The TED movement is fostering an expansion of consciousness and knowledge, allowing people to imagine beyond what they could before. With this imagination, new stories are being authored and new possibilities are being birthed. I look foward to TEDxwomen 2012...

Watch some TED clips from the latest TEDxWomen in New York

Which speaker resonated with you the most and why? Feel free to comment below...

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