Every year I take some time to reflect on the previous 365 days’ events. The good, the bad, and the weird. 2016 was one for the books! I set personal records, I moved back to my hometown (for the time being), ended my strategically unemployed streak, and more.
It wasn’t all great, I had my dark moments. In fact, I had many depressing days and nights in 2016. I had to go back and revisit the photo album in my phone to remind myself of all that happened this year that was positive (priceless memories with friends/family, traveling to TONS of new cities, playing Pokemon, selling my house, speaking to a graduating class, and more).
Bottom line: it wasn’t all good and it wasn’t all bad. It was another year. Another year I wasn’t promised. Another year I didn’t waste. Another year I grew – though maybe not as much as I would have wished.
It’s never as good as it seems, it’s never as bad as it seems.
This quote is what I come back to every time I feel myself getting too high/proud/untouchable and also when I’m down/depressed/miserable. It brings me back to center.
2016 was a good year, but there’s always room for improvement. I didn’t accomplish a few of my goals, but I did check off a lot. I accomplished other ones, but realized they may not have been good ones to shoot for in the first place. A lot changed in 2016 and I had to be flexible to persevere.
In 2017 I want to improve on that. I want to be a better man. That’s intentionally vague because you don’t need to know every one of my deep, dark secrets (if you’re that nosey, I did put up a few things I’ll be working on here on my /now page). But, I’ll let you in on this: I will Contribute to 2017.
I will Contribute to others.
I will Contribute to my family.
I will Contribute to society.
I will Contribute to my body of work.
I will Contribute to my job.
I will Contribute to my churches.
I will Contribute to my community.
I will Contribute to my own well-being.
I will not be sitting on the sideline in 2017. I will not let everyone else have all the fun. I will be in the world making a difference, making an impact, making a contribution.
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Each year I label the coming year like a guiding mantra to help me stay focused during difficult times. If you’d like to read more about this exercise, here are the posts from 2014, 2015, and 2016.
