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Today it is not so much about what I write as it is that I write. Purely symbolic, maybe. But important. Critically important. Important that I close 2016 and step over into 2017 from my happy place...doing what I absolutely love to do....in private, nakedly baring my soul.....in public, painting word pictures on the canvas of your mind. How are you finishing the year?
Did you finish strong? It may have been a turbulent year. Nothing much may have gone the way you planned. Life's like that. It throws us in at the deep end sometimes and if we're not careful, sink we will. I had many of those days this year. There were days I felt the futility of my efforts hit me straight in the face; days I felt overwhelmed and under-appreciated; times when I felt weighed down by a sense of stagnation and sterility. But then I learned that all this is a part of the process.
And so I kept at it. The good thing in all this is that I learnt long ago not to play to an audience, and I've learnt over time to shed things I have no interest in...things I do not feel called to do. And so today, I am driven by passion and purpose,,,,and that helps. It helps to provide the fuel when my natural adrenalin levels dip; It keeps me going when there are no cheers (and that's more often than not). And maybe most importantly, I've learned that in any moment, right at that moment, all is as it should be. And I forge ahead.
And so through the ebb and flow of 2016, I have kept the keen awareness that all is in alignment. I watched as others around me prospered, and I wished them well. I did my best to build others up; I built a bridge where I could....and I let it be. I didn't chase opportunities, but eventually they came. I learnt the value of discipline and I set my sights towards BECOMING....and eventually I finished strong.
So yes....there's no way I could have closed this year without coming back to my happy place....to celebrate my strong finish; to express my gratitude to my Creator; to reflect on all that has passed and to embrace this strong sense of hope that I have for 2017.....for my own growth, but more importantly, for the thousands I plan to assist in building something worthwhile...for the difference I will make in big and small ways. I trust you have already accounted your blessings and realize that you finished strong. But if you haven't yet, there's still time. In the dying moments of 2016...reflect on your path and count all the ways you conquered and indeed you'll find that you did, after all, finish strong.
