Yes, we are in the first few days of a new year. It’s time to ponder.
Note that we aren’t referring to New Years resolutions which for many years has been a noble effort only to be often riddled with dismal to failed results.
Neither is it about a goal which sounds worthy of attention except that you will either hit the goal (yay!) or miss it (oh no!).
Neither do we want to call it our imagination which is often just too far out of reach or dreaming which isn’t even in our universe.
That leaves pondering. We rarely hear that word mentioned, but it’s ideal for our purpose here. To save you from looking it up, to ponder means “to weigh in the mind, to consider carefully.” Now, you say to yourself, that’s reasonable. Not only can I do that, I could easily be persuaded to give that a try.
Well, as of now, consider yourself someone ready to do just that. It appeals because it seems to be much more logical than attempting to abide by resolutions, developing a strategy, making goals, dreaming, or imagining. Done correctly, it could even be easier with better rewards and greater results.
Before we ponder, however, we must face some realities. Specifically, we are human beings or maybe it’s better to say we are the latest version of all human beings that have ever lived. That means none of us are or will ever be perfect.
Also, and for the umpteenth time, we need to remind ourselves that we had no choice if and when we were born nor will we be able to choose how and when we die. To venture a bit farther into that subject, best we just assume we were meant to be here on earth at this particular time and that God is in control of that.
What happens in between, however, is up to us. We have already left the starting line with the next stop being the finish line. That in itself is a good reason to ponder. And with that, we come to the specifics, the making of a list of items in no particular order.
First, you must ask yourself what you want to be by the end of the year that you aren’t now. If you want to be a better person you must be specific such as being a better parent, a better worker, or becoming better at whatever I am doing at this stage of my life. Only then can you consider the specifics of what’s necessary to make that happen.
No matter how strong the urge, you will never get by just saying you want to be a better person, or make more money, or be more successful. Walking down any of those paths always leads to nothing. It’s like cramming your mouth full of mashed potatoes then trying to swallow it all at once when you already know you will need to do it a bit at a time.
Applying that here, it might be a matter of finding and keeping a better job. Or needing or wanting to move to a different part of the country. Or replacing an old car with a new or better one. Or either going back to school or attending a different one. Or taking a vacation in a new place. Or joining one or more clubs. Or making more friends. Or breaking a habit. Or stopping an addiction.
If it will make it any easier, think of each of those activities as a thrust because that’s really what they are. You are concentrating then directing your best thoughts and most powerful energies in the same direction or adding thrust to go in a different one. If you already know how best to do that, just begin. If you don’t, then find out how by asking others who have done that, then putting into play what they tell you.
After that will come the part that’s so strange that it’s best to not even try to explain it or discover where it’s coming from. No matter how unexpected, surprising, or useful, consider it the result of attracting such happenings because you have committed yourself to improving your lot in life. Some people call it luck, intuition, or divine guidance. It doesn’t matter what label you use.
