Checkmate, Check Me: A New Year Examination
A year is closing out. A new year is opening up.
For better? Or Worse"
Looking back at me,
how do I measure up now?
Where has the trail led?
Rather than make ourselves promises about the year ahead, let's take a look at ourselves in the year that is passing.
Can you even remember the New Year resolutions you made months ago?
Tradition suggests that it is time to make some new resolutions. Is it really?
I remember that one year I resolved "To be brutally frank in the year ahead." That resolution lasted only as long as it took for my Aunt Eda to ask me what I thought of her new hat!
How can we set one or more resolutions for the new year ahead, if we don't first consider what we need to improve upon from our experiences of the year we are leaving behind?
For example, 12 months ago I was determined to publish another book. I did publish my book Haiku American Style: 210 Poems A to Z About Human Nature. In the process, I learned a lot about getting a book into print and all that goes into the editing, printing, and copyrighting process of a 458 page book with photos and commentary.
To one view the resolution was accomplished, but it was not completely satisfying to me. I printed just enough copies to give copies to my family and close friends, while trying to master the process and continue on to the process of eventually promoting that book commercially.
In the year ahead I want to build on what I have learned, and publish 10 additional book manuscripts which are ready for me to repeat the process and put those manuscripts in print, promote, and benefit from my efforts.
I use this sequence as an example of building on growth from the previous year when we set a course for the year ahead.
We need to learn from our experiences, whatever they may be, if we are to really benefit in the year to come.
In doing so, we want to take a much broader focus.
We want to be looking at physical, financial, emotional, spiritual, social, intellectual, and educational aspects of the year behind. Then we want to set goals in each of those aspects of our life to build on any progress we have made, while (and here it comes) resolving to shore up aspects which seem to have been lacking in progress.
As we approach the year ahead, we can benefit from examining each area of our lives and either plan to build on our successes, or choose a more favorable path forward that can offer more promise of progress in the year ahead.
It is all well and good to identify a primary aspect of our lives to focus on improving, but not to the extent of overlooking the rewards that can come from trying to advance in all the aspects which will determine what we can really accomplish in the year ahead.
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
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© 2015 Demas W. Jasper All rights reserved.
