Looking ahead to a better life in 2016

January is here and so is 2016. Welcome to a new year of hope and promise. A time to move on and get ready for 12 months of goal setting and achievement.
It is also a new year to let bygones be bygones, if you can and work towards mending broken fences if need be or forgive and forget. 2016 can be a time to make new friends, learn something new, take some risks, take a vacation, or simply work towards a better you.
By next Christmas or New Year’s Eve, perhaps you will be in a new relationship, or beginning a new life with someone special, or in a new career or taking the steps necessary to move forward in the next stages of your life.
Sure, there may be heartache, turmoil and chaos. The world is both good and bad and there will be trying times ahead but hopefully, the bad times will be miniscule in nature.
Our lives are short and because of this fact of nature — we must live it to its fullest. A no-holds-barred way of life, but that’s easier said than done. Especially, in this day and age.
The saying, “If you build it, they will come” can also be used as, “If you want it and work towards it, you can conquer your fears and can achieve your hopes and dreams” — for the most part.
Being proactive in your life, as opposed to being reactive, can be instrumental in making the changes necessary to rule your roost, so to speak. Instead of relinquishing control to others and having to make a choice, that may or may not be in your best interest, can be a common outcome if you react to situations. Knowing the difference is the first step in the battle.
When confronted with conflict that needs resolution we often find ourselves at an impasse or a part of our body wants to stage a coup in order to achieve a moderate level of stability and/or comfortability.
Humans fear change. Some loathe it. Some use the fight or flight routine behaviour, while they simply run away instead of stare into the abyss, whatever that might be.
This year is the year to soar like an eagle, float like a butterfly and sting like a bee just like Muhammad Ali. Knock out fear and uncertainty, the opponent. Wear the championship belt with pride and accomplishment, rather than simply hitting the showers, calling it a night and retiring after hanging up the just-like-new gloves.
The world is a nasty place, at times, and one needs to step away from reality once in a while to catch a breath of fresh air. It’s inevitable, a person will feel defeated, at times, too. It’s a vicious cycle. As the 1980s hit TV show exclaimed, “You take the good, you take the bad, you take them both and there you have the facts of life, the facts of life.” Tootie, Blair, Jo, Natalie and Mrs. Garrett learned some life lessons on that show.
Life delivers us lessons at every corner. Sometimes we are open to suggestions and other times we seem to be closed off from it or have troubles accepting one’s fate.
To quote one of classic literature’s greatest writers of all time Mr. Edgar Allan Poe, “Nevermore.” Say “nevermore” to your reluctance to move forward. Don’t say, “I’ll be back,” as the Arnold does in “The Terminator” movies. Instead, quit cold turkey, while taking baby steps towards your goals and aspirations.
Make 2016 the year to shine, to devour and conquer. But, do it in moderation. Too much, too soon, can be counterproductive. Anxiety could turn into a breeding ground for fear and loathing.
Even though life has plenty of pitfalls, road blocks, electric fences, and “Enter At Your Own Risk” signs — “The truth is out there,” just ask Scully and Mulder. It’s up to you to find it and use it to your advantage.
Sure, 2016 could eat you up and spit you out, just like many other decades of New Years’ past. But, 2016 could also be a chance to kick old habits and behaviours to the curb and adopt a new and improved you.
It is often asked, “Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind?” You can reminisce about your former self but don’t dwell on it.