2018 > 2017?

Overall, 2017 was a good year for me. I bought a new car, accepted a better position at my job, was able to stop working two jobs, and my second grandbaby was born.  I listed these items in chronological order, not in order of importance. 

Not everything about 2017 was great. Some loved ones left this world. Friends found out they were losing their jobs. People continue to let their political agendas affect their outlook on life and some friendships. 

We always seem to welcome a new year with a sense of hope. This year will be better than the last. Inevitably, I hear more people at the end of the year claim they cannot wait for this year to be over. 

Do people go through an entire year without any good happening to them? Are we so anxious as to grow old? I prefer to look at the good I have experienced and await even better things happening this year.

I, like most, look forward to the new year with hope. 

I recall growing up with certain New Year’s traditions. People would come over to watch college football all day long. We would eat corn beef, cabbage, and black-eyed peas. Black eye peas were to bring you luck. Cabbage would make you richer. I hate those two foods and still do. Fortunately, my wife does not like them either and we do not continue those traditions in my home. 

I am not sure how black-eye peas bring luck. I do not care. I believe that we make our luck. We think, prepare, work, and adjust to certain circumstances. These things bring “good luck.” Cabbage never made me rich growing up. It just gave me gas. I have become rich without eating cabbage. No, my bank accounts are screaming that they are too full. However, I am rich with great family and friends. I am rich with a spectacular wife. (I married up.) I am rich with the ability to enjoy life. I am rich in experience.  Money does not make one rich. Your perception of life does. 

I also quit making New Year’s resolutions decades ago. People resolve to eat healthier, get more sleep, and exercise more. What usually happens is we lose the same 40 pounds we lose every year only to gain it back before the end of the year. However, I give props to those who make resolutions and keep them going to improve their lives. 

Maybe we should start new resolutions such as trying to understand other viewpoints, not getting mad when people disagree with us, and looking for solutions to problems rather than sulking over them.

I do not know if 2018 will be greater than 2017, but I hope it is for everyone. If you are a person who reviews the past, I hope you see the good that happened.

Do Good Things Really Happen To Those That Wait?

I have heard it said that good things come to those who wait. Recently I began to wonder how true that statement really is.  I know of people that have waited for something good to happen to them, but good seems to be just out of their reach. How can something good keep missing the same people? How long does one have to wait before good finds them?

Life is full of surprises. I do not believe that good things happen to people by chance. I believe things happen to people depending on the waiting process. In other words, the things you do while waiting makes the difference.

If you are waiting for the bus and get distracted by your phone or something that is around you, it is entirely possible that you miss the bus for which you have been waiting. Being distracted can lead to missed opportunities. Keep focused on what it is you want. Do not let immaterial things stop you from achieving your goals. Wait without being distracted.

Sometimes people are waiting for good things to happen but are not in the right place. If you wait for a bus at the wrong bus stop, the bus you need will never come. Make sure you put yourself in a place where you can find good opportunities. Sending in resumes for jobs in which you are not qualified is similar to that situation. Better use of your time is to seek jobs for which you are qualified, but you should continue to expand your qualifications whether taking classes, volunteering or job shadowing. Wait at the right place.

I went to a big box store last year for a few things. The line at the register was so long and was not moving. I became frustrated, put my items back and went to another store. Many opportunities are missed because we grow impatient or frustrated. We need to learn to keep our heads in the game. We want to take the fastest approach which may not be the best way to go. Sometimes it is more beneficial to wait for the right opportunity then to just take the next opportunity. We may need to ask ourselves if the opportunity in front of us will help me achieve our goals. If it does not, we may need to wait for the right one. Wait with patience.

It is said that no news is good news. That just means that you still have a chance because you have not been rejected. Some people will try for what they want because they assume they have no chance. If you want something, go for it. Believe in yourself. Do not lose confidence because the wheels in a situation are moving really slow. Slow wheels are still turning. Some opportunities may take longer than others. Good opportunities are worth the waiting. Wait with hope.

Keep your eye on the prize. Do not forget what you want to achieve. Be consistent in seeking what will help you accomplish your goals and leave aside things that may hinder them. In the Old Testament, the people were waiting to hear the word of God, but because it took longer than they expected began to serve golden idols. Keep moving in the right direction. Wait while remaining faithful.

Good things will come to those that wait, but how you wait matters.

Blockbuster Trade

I am not a big basketball fan. I enjoy the game enough to go watch a live game but not enough to watch it on television. The extent of getting information on my local team is hearing about it on the radio news on my morning commute. 

For the last several years, I have heard how we need a new coach. The team replaced the old coach, and new hope arrived. After the first year, the call for a new coach and a new general manager started. The team has had its difficulties. We have one of the best players in the game and occasionally get into the playoffs, only to lose in the first round. 

This year has been no different. Every morning for many weeks, the sportscasters start suggesting that rather than aiming for the playoffs, try for a lottery pick in the NBA draft. Maybe we will have better luck next year with new coaches and players. 

This morning, the news was much different. I turned on my car radio and heard, "The Pelicans were going to acquire DeMarcus Cousins in a blockbuster trade." The sportscaster also added how the team now has a legitimate chance of not just reaching the playoffs but doing well. 

Again, I am not enough of a basketball fan to know the impact this trade would make. By the sound of the reporter's voice, the team has newfound hope I am aware that local media sometimes over dramatizes how big of a trade can be so I checked out NBA radio. The national media apparently agrees that this is a huge move for the team and possibly for basketball. 

Sometimes in life, we would love to start over. Maybe go somewhere that nobody knows us and start fresh. While a fresh start sounds nice, often it ends with very mixed results. The reason starting over is not always prudent is because we are the problem. We bring our own issues with us wherever we go.  

Most of us do not need a complete overhaul. We simply need to get rid of a few things that hold us back and add something better. 

Would we be better off if we traded hatred for love, discord for peace and selfish ambition for self-control? This would be a blockbuster trade. The results could bring hope. It could bring change to everything around you. It could even bring you success. 

We need to stop trying to change our situations and look inwardly for what we can change ourselves.   

New Year Excitement

Every year, people take this time of the year to remember the things that have transpired in the previous year. The media published top ten lists that friends can debate. Rarely are everyone’s lists the same. My top ten movies are probably not the same as yours.

Every year there has its successes and failures. Last year, I lost 40 pounds from May to November, but in the last 2 months, I have seen an increase in 14 pounds. In sports, my New Orleans Saints looked bad, then really good, then bad again.

Good or bad, we do not live in last year. We live in the present year. Every year starts with celebrations. While the past year has people and events we miss, the New Year offers us a new hope and a fresh start.

It is up to us how we proceed. Many will dwell on the past. They will tell others of their great achievements. Others will recall their losses or failures. Remembering the past is one thing, but living in the past is another.

I chose to move forward.

I do not know what tomorrow will bring. I do not know how this year will compare to last year or to the following year. The excitement of the New Year is like opening a gift. You are not sure if you get what you really wanted or a set of ugly pictures that have be re-gifted year after year. Only time will tell.

I want to live as though this year will be the best ever. I want to live life as if this were my last one on earth. I want to make new friendships that will last for years to come. I want my family to grow through marriage and births. I want those around me to be able to laugh and enjoy life with me.

These are not resolutions. These are my hopes. Some may want more money, better jobs, or better health.

Of course, I want those things, as well, but I really just want to make the people around me happy. I love smiling faces. Laughter is the best medicine.

The New Year offers no guarantees. Some things that will happen will be out of our control. How we respond to things is completely in our control. If you fail, get up, learn from what went wrong, and try again or move on to something else. If you succeed, continue or move on to the next thing. Even better, help someone else to succeed.

This year, I hope people quit complaining and start telling jokes. I hope people will stop the practice of destructive-criticism and offer practical advice and encouragement. I hope the many divisions of people can move past the hurts and come together in unity.

Accomplishing these things start with us. I hope I will be the person to start the change in the New Year. I can only affect those around me. It takes more than just me. It takes a bunch of individuals to decide for themselves how they will affect positive change.

Be positive. Be helpful. Be the change.

HOPE DEFERRED MAKES THE HEART SICK

Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Hope is a wonderful thing. We hope for the best. We hope for a brighter tomorrow. We hope to feel better. There are many things for which to have hope. However, sometimes the things we hope for do not come when we would like them.

Friday morning, my son went to have a procedure performed that hopefully would relieve his pain. He came out of that appointment frustrated and disappointed. It turns out this was not the procedure but a consultation about having the procedure. Hope was not lost but delayed. A little over an hour later he received a call saying they could do the procedure that afternoon.

Just because things do not go as you want them does not mean they are not going to happen.

This happened with a job I applied for years ago. I interviewed for four separate openings for the same position with the same supervisor. Each opening was only several months apart from each other. Each time, they told me they gave the job to someone else because of some political connection. I was already performing the job as a contractor under this supervisor’s oversight. Each time I saw an unqualified person hired; it caused a sick feeling in my heart. I had a choice. Continue to have hope or give up and seek another opportunity.

I chose to continue to keep a positive attitude. I chose to continue to do my job in the best way positive. I chose to keep the hope alive.

When another interview for the same position and the same supervisor presented itself, the results were a little surprising. The “higher-ups” wanted them to hire someone with more connections again. This was not the surprising part. The supervisor told me because I kept up my work and specifically my attitude, he would fight to get me on and not hire anyone else until they let him. The process took a few months, but he and I both prevailed.

There are many times in my life when I saw hopes and dreams deferred. Sometimes my actions caused the postponement of the things for which I hoped.  Sometimes the reasons were out of my control. I can learn from my past mistakes. I can learn not to let things outside of my control define how I respond. Disappointments will arise, but my hope will continue.

Do not let disappointment steal your hope.