As we reflect on 2013 and prepare for the New Year, let us not spend too much time brooding over our past actions. 2013 is behind us (or will be in a day or so). The most important fact to take from 2013 is that we made it. All of us! If you are reading this, it simply means you made it! You are alive, you are not in prison and hopefully you are not in the hospital. Give thanks!

For me, 2013 was a great year. I won’t get into the details but it was by far my best year, maybe since 2008/2009. I think 2013’s greatness was due in part to a change in thinking. I made a conscious effort to work harder and not to be bothered by a lot of things. Basically, I tried my utmost to always stay positive and upbeat. I accepted that people will be who they are and that I can only control my own actions. There were a few hiccups here and there but for the most part it worked. It worked because I slowed down and took a step back. You can call it introspection and retrospection.

Sometimes life gets so hectic because we are moving so fast. We are so focused on everything and nothing. We don’t take any time to notice what is happening around us. We end up crashing. When life slows us down, that’s always the worst and that’s if we are lucky. Some people get blind-sided and everything crashes to a halt. Sometimes we just need to slow down and check our rear-view mirrors. What is it that we are carrying with us that is affecting us? What is it that is holding us back? Sometimes we are our worst enemies, our hang-ups, and our attitudes and sometimes even our friends and families are holding us back. Any good driver will tell you that checking the rear-view mirror is an important step in moving forward. Checking our rear-view mirror is one thing, but what we do after we have checked is just as important.

Objects in the rear-view mirror may seem closer than they are. This means that even though we should treat the issues in our past with importance, we should not allow them to affect our future. Get rid of them! Our reactions to the things in our rear-view mirrors are what hinder us on the road of life. Holding on to the past is burdensome & over time it wears us down. We expend so much energy focusing on past events & people that we neglect the present. The key is striking a balance between learning (not dwelling) from your past experiences & using that knowledge to safely navigate the future.

This year, instead of making specific resolutions that we know we won’t be able to keep. Let’s tell, Lets promise ourselves that we will let go of whatever it is that has held us back. Let’s promise ourselves that we will improve at least one area of our lives.

JAH GUIDE AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!