The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.
- Marcel Proust -
It won't be long and a new year will click over; the year 2023, my fifty third year on the planet. Man that makes me feel old...but...nah...I don't really feel old in truth - the G-dog is still rockin' it. Sure, maybe I'm not getting any prettier...In fact, I never was, but I'm still rockin' it G-dog style...life I mean, and have a pretty decent one indeed.
Yes, I have problems. Yes, they get the better of me at times. Yes, I feel worn out and stressed. Yes, I wish I'd made a few different choices. Yes, I have a few regrets...I think most could say the same.
On the flipside, yes, my life has been (overall) fucken awesome. I can't complain - I don't even want to.
I mean that I've made some big changes that have expanded my paradigm, pushed me to better thoughts, attitudes and results and that it was also a year in which several things, situations, challenges and adversities remained unchanged or got worse. I'm ok with it; life swings both ways, it's when the pendulum stops we've got a problem. So that was then...but what about now? When looking forward, it's always good to look with 'new eyes'. I mean, the same ones as before, but with different thoughts and attitudes behind them.
I don't make New Year resolutions; Saying I'm going to do something and then doing nothing proactive to attain it seems a waste of time. I make goals though.
These are attainable, measurable and focused and each has a strategized plan to ensure I reach it or, at least, to give me the best chance of doing so. I start working on these in December and I write them down, along with the plan of attack, and in this way I move into the new year with new fresh eyes. I've been doing this for years and it's paid dividends. Furthermore, I set stretch-goals which lay beyond the initial ones and are there in case I get to my goals earlier than expected...it gives me something more to work towards, to reach for.
Life is a voyage, a journey, with a known and clear destination; death. Yeah, it's not nice to think about but you'll be dead one day like every one else. But not yet.
What's unclear is the paths we'll take, the happenings along the way, and how we may deal with the challenges we'll face, however, we can influence that somewhat; that's what making goals with plans is all about. Floundering along in life isn't my way, hoping for something to come to fruition isn't either; I'm more of a go get after it sort of fellow. Therefore, I'll head into 2023 looking forward to what may come, what I may be able to design and create and to looking backward from the tail-end of it and evaluating how I went, as always.
I wonder what your end of year/new year plans are. How do you round out one year and get ready for, and move into, the next?
Do you make resolutions, sit back and hope? Do you set goals and plans then deploy with vigour and passion? Do you do nothing and leave it to chance? Maybe you have an imaginary friend to tell you what to do...Feel free to let me know in the comments if you would like to.
Understand the past, set the right goals for the future and reside in each moment - be present. Your future is in your hands so design and create it, then own it - G-dog
Design and create your ideal life, don't live it by default, tomorrow isn't promised so be humble and kind - galenkp
I photographed the image in this post personally.
