”Start collecting moments, not things.” – Unknown
Greetings All!
As I sit here and reflect on 2017, I consider all of my accomplishments set out from 2016. I think of the many challenges I faced, some that forced me to grow in ways I did not expect, while others exposed areas that I still need much work in.
One thing I can say on this last night of 2017 is I have no regrets, despite the many challenges and unmistakable weaknesses that remain with me – sometimes (those weaknesses) are like a friend that I wish would just go home. However they do not. They stay right along side me like they belong, and in some ways they do, because I have allowed them to.
It kind of goes back to that saying of learning to be comfortable with discomfort. I am getting better at it, but some things are harder to learn and grasp than others. And if you are not familiar with this saying, it is not simply a statement of disregard or to say, “suck it up”, but it is to say that some hardships are not designed to just go away with prayer, counsel or coaching. Some challenges we must go through like a journey. A process that will forge deep into our souls and allow pain, to become the prime motivator for our next steps.
So as I gather my thoughts for 2018 and consider what I want it to look like, I continue to think on the things that matter the most to me. They have not changed much except for a few tweaks here and there. Some of those things are as follows:
- Continue to live a life of gratefulness. – Things could always be worse, and I recognize that I am blessed in my current state.
- Spend more quality time with my family and friends. – I have so many thoughtful, smart and dynamic people in my inner circle. I must take advantage of those relationships I have and continue to learn from them as they learn from me.
- Stay open for unexpected/unplanned blessings. – I tend to live a rigid and analytical life, so I have to work at this, but I know enough to realize that life does not unfold from a planned box, so whether I receive an encouraging word from a child or direction for my ultimate destiny from a stranger, I realize that God can connect us in ways that we could never imagined if we just remain open to the idea and not get caught up on how it happens or looks.
- Continue to treat my physical, emotional and spiritual body as a temple. – Feed it good stuff more often than not and exercise it with consistency and determination.
- Continue to recognize that my ultimate purpose should serve a greater cause than myself. – I choose to give more of time in servitude in 2018, whether through my career or personal life. They all tie together.
So whatever state you found yourself in on the last day of 2017, today is not only a new day, but a new year. A time to reflect and begin anew. Allow nothing to hold you back and learn to understand that there is always an upside to being down. It’s like being in the desert and coming towards and oasis. You will always appreciate it more after going through the hardship.
Have a great 2018!!!
Keep Pressing,
Hank G