The new year is now well underway and there is no looking back. There is only keeping your eye on the prize, there is only looking forward.
Looking forward is only for making it happen. Doing what it takes now to achieve your goals.
Forget those “new year’s resolutions” and all that nonsense. You have a wide-open calendar ahead and the past is yesterday and yesterday is gone. I can never go back. You can never go back. None of us can ever go back.
That is because there is nothing to go back to. We cannot change the past but we can change the future. You can change your course in life, you an increase the trajectory you were on to something bigger and better.
So how do you change your future?
Folks, I am going to let you in on a secret that most people know but few would even admit:
You change your future by living the best today you can.
The present is where it is at. By living in the moment, making choices and decisions that align with where you want to be later (not now).
Right now, you are living your life. As you are living in the present there is no benefit with focusing on the past and the future is still not written. While you may be working towards building a better future, remember you still must get through today.
You must do this every day until you reach your goal or achieve your dream then you continue to do so for all the remaining days of your life.
Get to work on today to go forever forward because yesterday’s gone.
As I write this overdue post, the world is still reeling from the results of the raid into Venezuela. Whatever, you political views are, please keep them to yourself. I have seen and experience more in my life time that I can honestly say I have stood on the other side of the Berlin Wall. Stood toe-to-toe with my then adversaries (Soviets and East Germans), so please do not start with me on politics.
Where I was going with this post is to give kudos and praise to the Armed Forces of the United States in their ability to work so well together in executing this action with only minimal damage and injuries. This us what Desert One should have always been but when egos and bravado and playing things too close to the vest is what caused the debacle in that Iranian desert all those years ago. Yes, I am old enough to remember.
Things change, times change, people change. When things change it is called an upgrade or reboot. When times change they are called seasons or a new calendar. However, when people change it is usually not considered a good thing.
When things change, it is inevitable to do so for success. When time changes it cannot be stopped. When people change from the outside others call it bad, from within we call it a necessity to survive.
No matter what it is called one thing is certain: Things, Time, People, it is a new opportunity to begin again.
While it is perfectly fine to begin again on New Year’s Day. It is fresh and clean and new however, it does not last long. Sadly, by the middle of February that “new year, new me” BULLSHIT is a faded memory with only the stink lingering.
Did you know there is nothing saying that New Year’s Day is the ONLY time to begin or begin, again.
There is NO set time or date to begin. What there is YOU.
You can start as often as you like. There is no need to wait for the turning of the calendar page. You just have to start…to begin…and keep on doing it until it sticks, no matter what it is you want to do or accomplish.
I have the power within me.
That is why in 2026 I know I will begin again, and again, and again. Count on it.
As we venture in our journey of life, there are somethings that happen that are meant to set us free, while others are there to anchor us to the world we live in.
Like a ship that is docked, it has ropes that keep it tied to the pier. That way it does not drift away in the night. When the ship is ready to set sail the lines are cast off and soon, it is on a path to places over the horizon on a course set by the ship’s captain.
The anchor is attached to a chain and when the ship is ready to temporarily stop, it drops anchor. When it is time to move on, hoist the anchor, and soon back on course to places over the horizon. Do you see a pattern there? If not, that’s ok. I am going to explain it anyway.
Ships are built to head to the high seas. Ships are built to withstand rough seas. Ships are built to not only move from point A to point B but are also built to stay afloat, to stay above water. As a Self-Leader you are also built to keep moving. You are NOT built to stay docked at any port for too long. You are also not built to stay anchored anywhere for too long. What does that mean? It means that you are built to continue to grow, to develop, to become better than you are now.
While all this might sound like something I have said over and over before, it is because I have said it over and over. I believe in what I say. I stand by what I say. I have this passion for people to step up and be the leaders they know they can be and are. I stick to my passion because the message I share is that important.
Over the decades I have been on this planet, I have witnessed good and bad. Good things, Bad Things. Good People and Bad People. Though it would be easy to say that I have seen just about all there is to see when it comes to Good and Bad. I promise you I have only seen the tip of the iceberg. Of what I have witnessed, rest assured it still surprises me to the levels of Good and Bad people can and do go to.
That’s ok, I know that as a human being I am capable of going to those extremes. I opt out of that. No one is, no matter how much they try to kid themselves, no one is perfect. I am not perfect. Sure, people can claim they live a pious life but are they really? A pious person would never verbally proclaim their piety for a truly pious person lets their actions and behaviors do all the talking for them.
On the other hand, there are individuals that revel in their unabashed devious behavior. The boasting and bragging of their deceit are certainly not something to be proud of or to be used as a tool to make others fear them. The pious and the deceitful have one thing in common.
They have their chains and ropes tying them down. Tying them down to live the braggadocios life they have chosen to use as a facade to mask their inability to cast off their lines and hoist their anchor to live a life they can freely choose to live. While some may argue that the pious or the deceitful are living the life they choose but at what cost? This argument can quickly become a circular argument thus, I offer this advice or words of warning:
As we venture in our journey of life, while there is no set time to cast off the ropes and hoist your anchor. You will know when the time comes. Only you will know when the time comes to set yourself free, especially when there are others trying to anchor you down or keep you tied to the dock in the name of keeping you safe. The world is not a safe harbor. The world we live in has rough seas as well as smooth swells all of which you are more than capable of handling. Get to work!
