Gearing Up For The New Year

“The unexamined life is not worth living” -Aristotle            

For many of us, the thought of an approaching year brings a surge of hope, positive anticipation, renewed strength, new aspirations and a surge of positive energy. The reality however sets in when in spite of our genuine intentions, big dreams, well-calculated plans, and expended efforts, we experience what may be termed the “good, the bad and the ugly”; a mix-bug of experiences.

"The Good..."            

For some, 2016 brought with it many fulfilled dreams and aspirations. Some landed their dream jobs while others got promoted on the job. There are still others who made a successful occupational move or diversion. New businesses were established while some existing businesses made substantial gains. Some young ‘love birds’ were joined in holy matrimony this year. Some married couples were blessed with the fruit of the womb this year with little or no complications whatsoever. There are those who got cured of one ailment or the other. Some broken marriages and relationships were restored. There are those who successfully completed their various courses of study. And the list of good experiences this year is endless. It is most probable that you experienced “the good”, at least in one form or fashion.

"...The Bad and the Ugly"            

You may have lost your job this year. Perhaps you found another. Perhaps you are still unemployed. You might have graduated with distinction from an institution of higher learning and might have expended lots of effort at securing a job this year and yet never received a job offer; you were probably unemployed for much of this year or the entire year. Perhaps you even started a business this year but you made losses rather than profits. You might have gone through a great deal of financial struggle; your debts might have piled high. You might have lost a loved one.

You may have suffered a bitter divorce or broken relationship with its attendant emotional struggles. Your trusted and dearly loved spouse might have cheated on you. Your dream to settle down this year might have never materialized. As though that was not enough, the man or woman you loved and anticipated settling down with suddenly walked out of the relationship – leaving you alone and lonely. You might have failed in an exam you were quite sure you will excel in.

You may have been fired from your job. You perhaps invested so much time, energy, money and other resources with the hope of building a profitable business but sadly, none of your efforts yielded the desired results; rather than run a profitable business, you could hardly make ends meet. The list of “the bad and the ugly” is endless but for purposes of this blog post, this will suffice. And I dare say, none of us are immune to the challenges of life - you might have fallen victim to at least one of these unpleasant circumstances this year. But the good news is that you survived. What was meant to kill you, will make you stronger and as long as there is life, there is hope.

           
As this year inches to a close, you are probably delighted that some of your goals and expectations for this year saw the light of day. You may be wondering why some other goals remained unfulfilled in spite of the energies you expended with the hope of seeing those dreams materialize. You may be wondering why in spite of your best intentions and efforts year in, year out, some goals you set for yourself never crystallized; you set a goal for 2014 which was never achieved. The same goal was set for 2015 which suffered a similar fate. The same goal was set for 2016 and you look on in frustration, despair, and disappointment as the New Year fast approaches.

There is someone else who is downcast principally because he or she was not able to accomplish a single major goal this year. There is yet another who accomplished every major goal he or she set this year. Your sweet and bitter experiences this year notwithstanding, I am convinced there is a lesson or two to be learned and if those lessons are learned and rightly applied, the approaching year could perhaps be your best year ever. If this is to happen, I believe every one of us ought to take a critical look at the past, the present and the future – self-examination is crucial.

Reflect on the Past            

What did you set for yourself to accomplish this year? Where those goals achieved? What might have accounted for their accomplishment? Why were some (or all) goals not achieved? What were your experiences this year? Did the year go as planned? What did you do well in this year and what did you fair badly in this year? What are the lessons you can possibly learn from the myriad of experiences this year?

Ponder about the Present            

Where are you now as far as the pursuit of your dreams is concerned? Are you better today than you were yesterday? What do you need to do to improve on your current gains? Have you made significant progress or trailing behind? What do you need to do now to change the unpleasant circumstances of your life?

Reflect on the Future            

What will you do differently next year than you did this year? Are there pitfalls to avoid in the coming year? What mistakes will you guard against in the year 2017? What do you hope to accomplish in the coming year? How do you plan on achieving those goals? What lessons did you learn this year that will inform your actions and inactions in the New Year?

           
What is the point of all this? Once there is life, there is hope. You can be better than you are now. You can accomplish far more than you have ever attained. Your dream job and marriage is within your reach. You can not afford to give up now. You cannot afford to brood over your woes and losses. This year might have gone bad for you but you certainly cannot resort to a pity party. Dwelling on your past mistakes and setbacks is counter-productive. 2017 can be a stupendous year for you. Decide it would be. Plan to have a great year and exert all your energies towards that end. Yes, you can! To your astounding success this coming year!

Written by Daniel Dela Dunoo

(Freelance writer/editor, blogger & published author)

Email: dudelda3@yahoo.com / danieldeladunoo@gmail.com

Blog: http://danieldeladunoo.blogspot.com / http://theroyalwordsmithgh.wordpress.com