A Passion for Celebration

Life is meant to be a celebration! It shouldn't be necessary to set aside special times to remind us of this fact. Wise is the person who finds a reason to make everyday a special one.

Traditionally the start of every new year is a time for letting go of the past, wiping the slate clean and renewing our hope in a future, both immediate and distant. We are of course most receptive to anything that strengthens our faith in tomorrow. After all, that's where we will spend the reminder of our lives. Our tradition of forward thinking also include a vision of a better life for generations yet to come.

So for the sake of continuity and posterity we invest the future with our best intentions. We try to remain hopeful for tomorrow's children and their children. But we are continually reminded from many sides of dark clouds on the horizon. Hope and apprehension for the future are for ever a running battle. We are told that the future will not be a very nice place in which to live; but a different impulse tells us that where there is life there is still hope.

I've often thought that we allow our past to speak too loudly in its implications for our future. Though very often accused of being too optimistic and even characterized  by irrepressible optimism and a tendency to find good in everything, I am always more willing to look for positive signs than for inexorable doom.

There's a lot of pessimism out there and I'm not buying in. In fact, I'm sick of it. It's hard for me to understand people who say things like, "I'm not bringing a child into this troubled world"; or, " Better we should end it and start all over again."


From my vantage point, the world still has just as much chance at Utopia as it does for Armageddon. Besides, like William Faulkner, if I must choose between a life of pain and suffering and no life at all, I'll take the pain and suffering anytime. No matter how miserable people tell me that existence is for us, I'll never be without hope. I haven't learned how to lose it yet.

When I so often say that we all have unlimited potential, I mean exactly that. I feel certain that the most stunning novel is yet to be written, the most awesome building has yet to be built, the greatest symphony is yet to be composed, the tastiest desert is yet to be dreamed of. There are planets and stars to be investigated and visited - a whole, as yet undiscovered, universe will continue to stagger the imaginations of a thousand more generations. There are breakthroughs still to be accomplished in virtually every field of human endeavor.

From my perspective, I plan to learn from the past and not suffer because of it. Like many before me, I see a renaissance just ahead and I want to be part of it. It's only natural that I wish to join those whose main purpose is to pass along to another generation the accumulated knowledge and inspiration of the past.

It's really not a lot to ask. We have witnessed so many fantastic things and we know with our hearts and our minds that miracles do happen. I ask only that we believe in the simple proposition that it is continued hope which sustains life. And hope arises from the knowledge that we are living in a time of abundant new beginnings. That's cause enough for celebration.

Happy and Prosperous New Year 2011 to all !

Doing the Right Thing

Wiston Churchill said “To every man there comes that special moment when he is figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a special thing unique to him and fitted to his special talent. What a tragedy if that moment finds him unprepared or unqualified for the work which would be his finest hour”.

Is this a normal year for you? Or is it different as it should be? Does it always take something outside of our control to put us back in control? The proven answer is yes. My question is why? Are all the changes within the market place trying to tell you something that you’ve forgotten? Are these uncertain times trying to remind you of the power that allows you to see the meaning of your life? Or are these just confusing times and somebody’s else problem. Do we just brush these times off as something that will not really change our lives? I believe that times like these come only once or twice in a lifetime at a level that forces you to pay attention. If you embrace the lessons learned during times like these and make your new choices a part of your daily habits, you could save all the things that matter in life before it’s too late. Now is the time to be good, not average. Good people always appreciate what they have before they lose it; average people can only appreciate what they have after they lose it.

We all have a choice in the way we live our lives. But many times, you don’t discover whether your choices make a good life or an average one until the moment when a situation seems to find a voice and taps you in the shoulder. The problem isn’t that you couldn’t hear and see; it’s that you wouldn’t listen and understand. The real question is why is this happening now? Is it a wake up call that you have asked or hoped for because of the direction you’ve gone in your life? I believe it is! Be thankful that it has called on you, because if you are truly thankful during these uncertain times, you will be reminded of the meaning that you truly have in life.

Let’s be honest…..why has this finally happened? Is it because you have lost control or have doubts? No, it is because you realize you are not totally in control and you need help. At that moment, you realize that the things that don’t matter really don’t matter anymore. What matters most is doing the right thing. Nothing changes until you change, and once you change, your life become different for you and those depending on you. I clearly understand that what is going on in the economy today has affected us all. The key is not to be angry about things like a 401(k) (I call mine 101(k) today!).

Security is important, but the Good Life is more important. I truly believe things happen for a reason, and my hope and prayer is that everyone find within their heart to find the purpose and meaning of their lives and move forward living the good live, Doing the Right Thing. I have learned through these times that life is too short not to be happy, and life is too long not to be successful.