Lifestyle

5 Ways to make 2014 Memorable

2014

There goes December 31st; as another day breathes its final breath and exhales the conclusion of a year at the same time, we usher in the new one with all the fanfare of fireworks and celebration. So here we are now, days into January and if it hasn’t happened already, this is the point in time many begin to think of all we hope to achieve within the New Year – often without considering what we achieved in the year gone by. Granted, sometimes it isn’t as much as we would have liked to but that doesn’t make our triumphs any less relevant. Or at least it shouldn’t but we are so often damaged and burdened by the weight of self-applied pressure that any instance we do not receive that which we seek as immediately as we desire it becomes a sign of failure somehow. To fall, to mess up, to lose or not succeed does not mean you have failed. We only fail when we give up on ourselves and never try again after falling down and in the midst of feeling sorry for yourself, waning beneath the perils of comparison and expectation, we have the problematic tendency to discredit, ignore and completely miss the things we should be proud of. Do not overlook that which you did achieve by focusing on that which you did not.

While you are looking ahead, you must also try not to completely eradicate the past from your memory. While you are here and your mind is filled with goals, targets and intentions for the year ahead, think of last year and take a moment to identify the point at which you felt the absolute lowest. I know it isn’t going to be something you actively want to remember and the chances are, it’s one of those things that will violently shunt its way to the front of your mind with a much higher frequency than you would like or even care to admit but just for a moment, seek out that memory. Have you got it? Good. Hold it. Keep it. Use it. Let it remind you that the bad must come and will do so whether you want it to or not. Let it remind you of a place you have no desire to be again but simultaneously, a place to which you know you have been; a battle you have fought and managed to stand up from. Victor. Champion. A little bruised perhaps but a whole lot wiser.
Now, search for the point at which you felt the highest.  The happiest. A moment of sheer joy and perhaps even a measure of pride. Got it? Excellent. Love it. Cherish it. Use it. Remember it when the dark times come – I promise you, they will come – and know that there will be rivers of happiness and oceans of that feeling in the days ahead. They won’t all come when you want or as often as you want, but they will come and they are too often forgotten in a hurry. Do not let them live in the shadow of the pain because that is a surefire way to hold yourself back from new and even better joys. Take both of these moments and engrave them into your hearts as they have etched themselves into your memory. You will need them.

A new year, just like each and every day, is a fleeting moment. Life is simply a succession of moments. Create, laugh, learn, love and enjoy as many as possible.

So here it is – 5 things we should aim to be this year and every year that follows.

1.    Be Prepared

We do not have the ability to see the future and even if we could, the universe would likely throw us a curve just when we think we know the play. Believe that anything can happen and prepare for that.

2.    Be Aware

While you prepare for the unknown, be aware of how your actions affect your life. Many of us like to play the victim. Be aware of what you are/are not doing, and what that could mean for you. Perspective is key.

3.    Be Present

You are here.  In this life. In this succession of moments. It is all you have. None of us knows with certainty what happens when our body is no longer animated by whatever force animates it, so as much as it is valuable to remember the past and vital to aspire for the future, do not forget to be present because the past cannot be changed and the future may not have you in it.

4.    Be Willing

Many spend years complaining about all the things they don’t like or have with zero willingness to seek out or work for what they want. Being alive does not entitle you to anything other than the right to be treated like an equal, so stop being a bitch and assuming that somehow everything will magically bring itself to you. Be willing to live. Be willing to try. Be willing to change the things you don’t like. It will help you be happy. I can be happy anywhere but if it gets to a point where I am no longer happy, I will remove myself from that situation and make the change; even if that means walking away from something or someone. You must be willing to fall if you hope to soar. If you are not, what makes you think you deserve to any of the things you want let alone that heart beating in your chest?

5.    Be Fearless

Take risks. Try. Be open and honest. These things will allow you to be fearless. Being fearless does not mean that you will never be afraid of anything. Fear is natural and you can’t control it but you can control how you respond to it. The fearless confront and fight through their fears. It builds their character; it helps them appreciate the joy of triumph and achievement.
Not every day will be a parade with rainbows and fanfare but if every day was, you would you appreciate it? All you experience it important. Remember, it is the darkness that makes the light relevant and it is the darkness that makes you rejoice the light, but one cannot exist without the other. Embrace it all. May the worst of last year allow you to appreciate the best of this year, and may the best of last year be the worst of this New Year.

Say thank you to 2013 and tell 2014, “I am ready for you.”

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

I hope it is filled with a lot of what you want and all of what you need.

Jack.
Find out more about Jack, click here to find out more about him: http://oninonline.com/about-our-writers/

p.s. Don’t forget to tell the people you love that you love them!