Resolve

"Bring the past, only if you are going to build from it." - Doménico Cieri Estrada

We're rapidly nearing the new year; the time in which we reflect on our experiences over the last few months and plan for the future. Of all the days in the year, none hold such promise as New Years Day. With it comes the chance to begin again; to reframe the way in which you view the world and strive for something better.

I've done my fair share of looking back this year; far more than I had anticipated. In doing so, I have realised that I will leave 2014 a very different man to the one I began it as. Looking back is important. I'm a firm believer in the idea that it's easier to determine the path you've yet to walk if you recall the steps you've already taken. This mindset ensures that you learn from the mistakes and the triumphs that you encountered during your journey to this moment, and you avoid retreading old ground. No more dead ends; just a steady path to the next chapter of your story.

One of the many wonderful things I saw this year.

I began this year with a series of goals; goals that seemed important at the time, even if they held little weight in the grand scheme of things. Whilst I'm happy to say that many of these were achieved, what blew me away the most were the victories that I hadn't planned for. Like a punch to the gut, it's hard to catch your breath in the moments that take it away. Rarely do you expect life to swing so violently in your favour. 

With this in mind, it's time to look forward again; to plan the next leg. Ask yourself what you want from the next 12 months. Consider how deeply you want to change, and see how far you get. You may find that you struggle to stick to the traditional "New Years Resolution" because after a few weeks, you begin to realise that you never really cared about that which you resolved to change. So think big, and dream bigger. Nobody's life ever changed because they decided to eat one less chocolate bar a day. If you only ever seek to change the little things, then you will only ever see the subtle and meaningless shifts; tremors instead of earthquakes.

So I've a final piece of advice for you all. One that I have followed rarely, and lamented often. If there is something you want, grab it. Pick one thing and fight tooth and nail for it. I don't care if it's a job, a lover, a distant lust or even something as small as the slightest chance for happiness. Break your back for it, because once you have it, every single wound you suffered in the pursuit of that happiness will fade and you will be left with nothing but the spoils of your personal war. Make this your resolution.

Happy New Year; may it prove to be nothing less than spectacular.