I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. This time after Christmas Day is difficult. After weeks of anticipation and preparation, it’s all over in the bat of an eye. There is definitely an anti-climax feeling when the presents are unwrapped and the decorations begin to come down. My son the priest reminded me that in the Church the Christmas season begins on Christmas Day and continues into January. Only in the secular world does it end on Christmas Day. This is also the darkest time of year and many suffer from a lack of sunlight. Keep your heads up, be patience with everyone around you, and look for the smaller joys that are often hidden in the day. The time after the holidays and during the cold winter months can also be a time of rest and hibernation and recharging. Although it seems very far away at this point, spring will be here in a few months with all the new life we’ve come to expect.
What we see depends mainly on what we look for.
-John Lubbock
I can’t speak for other people but as I walk through life I look for beauty, goodness, and “real” people. My personal radar has been calibrated to pick up on these things. As a result I notice beauty in the ugliest of places, I see goodness in most people, and I can easily identify what some people call “Plastic People”. If all you ever look for is mistakes, inadequacies, and weaknesses, that is all you will ever see. You will be blind to the things that are correct and going well, you will never notice people’s strengths, and the talents of many will be beyond your vision. Most of life goes the way it should and most people are good. Appreciation and gratitude are the fuel that drives life and people. Using premium fuel gives you the best performance. Focusing on the negative never has positive results. If you look for the good and the positive, that is what you will see.
“The planet does not need more successful people. The planet desperately needs more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers and lovers of all kinds.”
-The Dalai Lama
I have been fortunate enough to see the Dalai Lama twice and I admire him greatly. Everyone wants to be successful but not everyone agrees on the definition of success. The world measures success by the size of your paycheck, the power you wield, the title you have, the square footage of your office, and who dies with the most toys. Most religions would measure success by how good you are and how much you love those around you. I reject the world’s view and I mostly agree with success being measured by one’s goodness and love in action. I would also add that part of success is being the best version of who you are. We are all unique, we all have something to give, and we all have a part in the great drama of life. Shakespeare said that “all the world’s a stage” and that we are all actors. Success, however, is not acting. Success is being real and true. Being real and being true to who we are is a lifelong journey. Our true selves are often buried deep within us. The journey of life is to uncover who we really are and to be that person. Imagine a world where most people were real and true. It would be a world with more cooperation and less competition. It would be a world with more love and less hate. It would be a world with more peace and less war. It is our obsession with power, prestige, and possessions that creates most of the disharmony in the world. If you are not already being a peacemaker, healer, restorer, storyteller, or a person motivated by love, begin today. Let these things be your New Year’s resolutions. If you can lose a little weight too, all the better. Along the way you will find yourself and make the world a better place.
Happy New Year!
1 comment:
Happy New Year Michael!
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