Soaring Into The New Year

We are fast approaching a near year. Full of new opportunities and new challenges. This is a time when people are prone to grand celebrations and resolutions. Neither of which I have ever really understood. Grand celebrations seem like overkill to me and resolutions are most often disregarded by spring. But, this is a great time to reflect on the previous year, what went well, where we could have done better, how we intend to challenge ourselves in the coming year and to take time to remember to be grateful for being able to soar into another new year.

I’ll start with the last first. Gratitude. In our daily lives we often forget it. It is a human condition. We focus on what we don’t have, where we didn’t travel, the promotion we didn’t get, the car we couldn’t afford to buy and so on. But this post is meant for reflection. Reflect on the people whom you have lost, the suffering many communities in the south east were dealt this year with natural disasters, and the fact that we are still here to soar into the new year. I have lost friends and coworkers. Many have lost homes and livelihoods. I am deeply grateful for those who I have in my life, where I live, where I work and my health. I challenge everyone reading this, no matter what has happened, to take a personal inventory, find some things to be grateful for, some people to be grateful for and find some ways to express that gratitude. You’ll be better for it in the new year.

Think about challenges. This blog has been primarily aimed at first responder and veteran retirees and those looking at retirement soon, but this applies to all. Get out of your comfort zone. This is when growth takes place. We all like to be comfortable. Especially as we age. I was recently reminded of that when my boss asked me to do something challenging (that I’ll write about fully at a later date) and I said yes. It involves a lot of training. A lot of technology. Exams. When the hell was the last time I had a damn exam? Well, I’m damn sure out of my comfort zone. And, I’m damn sure learning in the hands of some wonderful (patient) people. But, the lesson here is that we have to think like we did when we were younger. Would we have gotten where we did if we never got out of our comfort zone back then? What is the deal as older people/retirees? We should be more ready to blast out of the comfort zone based on what we have experienced, not less. Challenge yourself. Learn. Grow.

Lastly, reflect on what worked for you during the previous year and what did not. That’s right, a good, old fashioned debrief. If we aren’t honest with ourselves about what we were doing that was not working, then aren’t we likely to continue doing it?

All of this seems pretty straightforward, but in practice it is decidedly not. We are creatures of habit. We eat crummy foods even though we know they will make us sick. We watch TV that bores us. None of this makes anyone a bad or lessor person. It just makes you human. I do encourage you all to reflect, debrief and challenge yourself as you soar into the new year. But if you find those things too daunting, then gratitude is at your fingertips.

Psalm 100:4