The Beat Goes On.....

2019 is quickly coming to a close. 2020 is on the horizon - a blank slate filled with so many possibilities! This is typically the time of year when we take stock of the past 12 months--what we have accomplished, what has yet to be done, what we wish we had done differently, what filled us with the most pride, who we added in our lives and who we subtracted from our lives. During this time of year, we consider with optimism the possibilities that lay ahead as we resolve to "make it matter". We anticipate new frontiers, new opportunities, and continued development, both personally and professionally.

In past blogs, I have suggested that we need not wait until the end of the year to take stock. As a child, a year seemed like a very long time. Yet as an adult, it seems that years simply fly by. After all, it seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating another auld lang syne. Perhaps utilizing a "year" as our yardstick for reflection is not realistic. Why wait?

Instead of subscribing to the 12-month assessment program, why not do so on a continuing basis. Yes, many of us do. However, imagine if our optimism toward the possibilities that lay ahead could be called upon at the end of each month! Imagine if we could begin each month with the same level of anticipation and excitement in which we begin the new year. Moreover, even more daring, what if we could do this weekly or even daily? Jane McGonigal, game designer and author has suggested that popularity of games stems in part from the notion that "something good can happen just around the corner" and that notion is what motivates us to keep playing.

Let's resolve to be optimistic about what is around the corner and take stock of our goals, our accomplishments, and ourselves on a more frequent basis. After all, why wait the year to be the best we can be? American author and journalist, Hal Borland suggests,"Year's end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us."

Let's harness our growing wisdom to keep constant the anticipation, optimism, and hope that we reserve for years' end. Individually we will see great change; collectively we will move mountains!

Wishing you a very happy going on!