Good riddance to bad rubbish? (1)

We live in tough times and this year has been particularly difficult for many people. So much has happened and many people are not the better for it. There is so much gloom and doom that if one is not careful one will be swallowed up in the negativity of the times. As the year grinds to a halt many people express different emotions, sentiments and attitudes. Some think the year is too far gone for anything meaningful to still be done. Others feel it is a good opportunity to finish up what they have started in the course of the year. Some see it as a time of celebration of their accomplishments in the course of the year. While others just want the year over and done with their attitude is good riddance to bad rubbish.

No matter what your view is of the remaining part of the year, one thing we must all do is to use the remaining part of the year strategically. The remaining part of the year affords us an opportunity of review and preview. It affords us the chance to look into the year that is about to end and also look into the new year ahead. It is time for strategic planning. In life things don’t just happen. Life does not give us what we wish or desire but what we make a demand for by consciously planning.

One constant thing that is certain in life is change. As long as we have breath going through our nostrils we will go through the inevitable change that the calendar brings – days will turn to weeks and weeks to months and months to years. The old year will give way to the new one. Change can either be imposed on us or we can activate change and whatever the case we must learn to respond to change. If our lives will ever count we must be activators of change in our own lives. We must not succumb to fear.

“Anytime I feel uncertain about life or want to try something new, my go-to reaction is to immediately try and control everything in an attempt to create some sense of order in my life. I want to see the whole path and know for certain that each decision is “right” before I take action. With this mentality, I spent years thinking about doing things, but never actually taking the necessary steps to create the life I dreamed of. Instead, just try taking one step and trust that when you need it, the next step will be revealed.” Amanda Christian

At this time when the year is about to expire we must sit down, analyse and assess how the year has been. We must put aside all sentiments so we can be able to clearly see how things have been. We must be honest and frank with ourselves so we can do a good job in critiquing the year. A conscious realisation of where we are in relation to our set dreams, goals and desires will facilitate our desire for change. It is this kind of change that will propel us to want to move higher and do better in the coming year. We must not be enmeshed in an emotional and sentimental quagmire. We cannot change the past but we can avoid repeating the mistakes of the past.

A sincere analysis of the year, most times, will make us see that we are not really where we ought to be. We will realise we could have done more than we did. We could have attained greater heights than we have attained. We could have been better people than we are. We could have touched more lives than we did. This, however, does not mean we should despair and hit our heads against the wall.