Finally, 2021 is on the horizon… we can look back at all the darkness of 2020, the losses, the gains, the fear, and the hope for a brighter tomorrow but for this week’s post I wanted to do something a little different. Before we get into it I want you... You who are reading this to think of someone who may need to hear this and make sure you share this with them. I say that because I know for me I needed to hear this even though it came from me so please if it resonates pass it one so we can all walk into 2021 ready.
Make Peace with your past
Look, no one is perfect. I don’t care who you are or what you believe I can say with certainty no one in this life is without mistake or missteps, that being said LET IT GO. As people, we spend too much time harping on the past and things or people we have done wrong. Forgive yourself or that person that did wrong by you. I’m speaking to you as a brother and friend, don’t drag that with you into another year. Forgive… but don’t forget! As cliché as it is the old saying still stands “fool me once shame on you… fool me twice shame on me.” So move on if nothing else 2020 reminded us that life is too uncertain to keep things that we can’t change.
Time Heals Almost Everything
In the same spirit as above, once you forgive and move on don’t look back, and before long, time will wipe it away. I was wronged almost seven years ago, and it took me another five years to let it go, right now I couldn’t tell you what the issue was. Please, I implore you to go on living your life and grow from the experience. I know I make it sound easy but the mark of a truly modern person is the ability to recognize that you can’t grow with old garbage holding you down. Let it go. What others think
Opinions are like teeth everyone has them and can’t wait to show them off, so what? Parent, siblings, cousins, friends, neighbors, it doesn’t matter! They don’t have to face you in the mirror YOU DO so to hell with what they have to say or think of your decisions. Live life for yourself… we all get one run at this life so enjoy yourself (safely). Billy Joel once said.“It's ok, you wake up with yourself…” meaning when it’s all said and done no matter what others have to say you are the only person you have to answer to when you look in the mirror.
No One in charge
This lesson comes from the heart… things happen, according to the great Forest Gump “Sh!t happens”, I don’t care how far you fall, there is no one out there pushing the buttons of your life but you so get up dust yourself off and keep going. Life is hard, and it’s not going to get any easier. The question is what do you do when you get knocked down? You can’t stay there. Get up! Learn from the experience and keep moving forward. I’m not going to dig into your spiritual beliefs or mind but I will say that you control more of your life than anyone else ever will.
Stop Overthinking Do us all a favor and read this one again… Here say it with me STOP OVERTHINKING things, sometimes a tree is just a tree. Trust in yourself and who you are. You are enough, you have all the tools you need to make an educated decision over the actions that take place over your life. Google, Bing, word of mouth, and wise counsel of others (even this post) are just support of the choices you make and how you shape your tomorrow based on what you know. Trust in yourself and go with it… if you make a mistake so what? You don’t fail you learn! Don’t compare yourself with Others Just like everyone else I struggle with this one and it’s difficult to face but when you focus on yourself and what you have working for you in your life, sooner or later you’re going to look around and see you are way better off than you thought initially. I look around now and at times I’m blown away by how far I’ve come when I stop feeling sorry for myself because I see others doing well. I’m reminded of a time when I was in school watching classmates going to Cabo, Mexico on spring break or other exotic trips and thinking to myself “I’m struggling to make rent… I am doing something wrong…”, but now some of those same people are in major debt from using money they didn’t have to live it up. However, by sticking to my choices, I am the one who now can afford those trips and no longer living check to check. I’m not looking down on them… hell many of them I’ve helped get things back in order but the point is I chose my path and I don’t regret anything.
Smile
Finally, take time to smile… it will amaze you how much better a simple smile will make you feel. Think about all of your “Wins” in life so far and practice smiling and celebrating your successes. You are here, you are alive, healthy, and no matter what station you hold in life you can enjoy the successes of the path you’ve drawn so far. As we go forward enjoy and celebrate who you are and what you’ve accomplished and continue to grow from. Life isn’t promised so don’t waste one day of it without finding a least one thing to smile about.
Do us all a favor. 11:59 December 31st, 2020, raise a glass, a thought, a prayer for those we have lost and the ones we have found. Raise a glass to who you are and the fact that you are here to celebrate another trip around the sun. I’ll be waiting for you next year, so cheers to 2021. This toast is just for you.
God Bless you and yours in the Greatness of Next year Sincerely,
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