It is 2 days to go til 2015.
In some ways, most ways actually, nothing really changes when the clock hand ticks off that final second. As a South African, i can be assured that Australians, New Zealanders and more have been experiencing 2015 for hours, and that it will be another ten hours after i do before my friends in Oakland, where we lived for more than half of this year, will be arriving at their own 2015.
It’s just another day.
But also it’s not.
Mentally, emotionally, maybe even spiritually, there is a whole lot more going on and it is a great opportunity to seize, like the wriggly diem that it is, with both hands and make the absolute most of it.
i call it a life stock take and the end of a year, beginning of a year, is a great time to do it, because in our minds something changes.
It is the opportunity for a fresh start in many ways.
And i am not talking about New Year’s Lie-o-lutions. Altho in the past, i have called them Evolutions, and come up with some great posts on ideas of things you might want to change or put in place.
Don’t make ‘promises’, make plans.
If you’re married, this can be a great activity to do with your person as they can help keep you accountable. And if you’re not, you may want to suggest a good friend joins you and you do this together.
Set an hour or two aside in the next day or so. Look at some different aspects of your life [can use a different page for each one] – good habits you would like to keep up or strengthen, bad habits you would like to remove, how you spend your time, how you spend your money, who are the voices you invite to speak into your life, who are you mentoring, how is your eating or your exercise, your sport or your play, any addictions that need some attention [from smoking or drinking or gambling to things like World of Warcraft, Golf or sport-watching, how is your relationship with God, are you reading books written by people of a different race or culture or perspective than your own, who do you need to forgive or ask forgiveness from.
And probably 100 more. Those are just some ideas to get you going.
The point is to stop for a bit. To interrupt the norm. To create the space to catch things you don’t want to be part of your day to day. To create the foundation for 2015 to be a most excellent year.
i would LOVE to hear how it goes…
‘It is often said that before you die your life passes before your eyes. It is in fact true. It’s called living.’ [Terry Pratchett]
My resolution is to live life. Liken this guy?http://www.enstarz.com/articles/54335/20141223/dan-bilzerian-king-of-instagrams-most-bizarre-photos-videos-of-the-year.htm
If being like that guy is your ambition, i would suggest you lift your sights man. I don’t really know him so i can only have an opinion based on the link you shared, but the impression is of a very me-focused lifestyle. Life is for so much more than that. Community and togetherness and helping those around you up and serving people in need. So much more fulfilling in the end i would imagine.
There are too many in need. How can we serve them all? haha The world is a harsh place. Lions eat sheep. Snakes eat mice. It is the way it was made man. Survival of the fittest. If I gave all my assets to the poor, I would be just like them, a vagrant. We should aspire to more. Dan is the name of the guy in the link. I personally think he is cheesy, and those posts are unbelievable – excess to the extreme. He is a daddy’s boy, not self made. I do think that if we earn it ourselves, we should be able to enjoy the money.
I guess if more people focused on not just themselves and on helping others around them, then the ‘too many in need’ would not be so huge. I was taught as a child to look out for others and i really don’t understand a mindset that just wanted to focus on self. It’s a little bizarre to me, as i imagine my mindset must be to you. Of course if you earn money you get to choose how to spend it, but i imagine if you were a person who for a hundred different reasons had fallen on hard times, you would long for someone to give you a break.
Its all relative!
If someone like Dan spends 1 million dollars on a party, it is the same as you hosting a picnic. If you are buying items and going to concerts or sporting events, you are also squandering money albeit on a smaller scale. It is therefore relative.
i would say it is all personal. i am not dan so i don’t really have to answer the question for him. But i do have to answer it for me. And knowing what i have and how i use it and what the people around me need is an integral part of my life – sometimes i get it right and sometimes i get it horribly wrong but i am at least being intentional in trying to make a difference in the lives of some of the people around me and calling on others who will listen to do the same.
Interrupt the norm – or in my case – the noise that dulls the things I should be listening to! This is a great idea. I have long since ceased to make lists of ideals and material gain and Angelic promises that last less time than gossamer on the breeze. I’ve started making vision boards, instead – of things I want to do, milestones I want to reach (particularly in the addiction and eating arena!)
That sounds great Dave. Care to share one of your milestones or goals with us?
36 months clean and serene living on 16 April – this is the highlight of my year, taking back my life after 18 years of addiction.
Wow Dave, that is incredible, well done. Don’t suppose you would be up to writing a piece for my Taboo Topic piece on Addiction? Brettfish@hotmail.com
Absultely! Will email you for details!
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