Beer, Beards, and Beginnings
It’s a new year. I’m still trying to wrap my head around the purpose of this blog. I’ve probably written and delated a few hundred pages worth of ramblings that will never see the light of day. There are times I just ramble, other times I vent, and sometimes I just start at the vast white blank space and nothing comes out.
I can look back. It’s easy to do. Sadly I feel I do that too much. I allow my past to be an anchor. My default is to carry the baggage of past mistakes and attempt to use it as motivation to make tomorrow better. Sadly it doesn’t work that way. The frustrating part is even when I try to let go, there are things I can’t let go of. Rule of thumb, if you have kids and want to teach them something valuable teach them fiscal responsibility at a young age. While you’re at it, tell them to live a debt free life. Not only will this instill a value and ethic for work and possessions that is lost on current generations, but it will also prevent past mistakes from haunting them for the rest of their life. I would love to undo some financial mistakes I made in my teens and 20’s. Sadly I’ll be dealing with them till I die. I digress. The point of this post was to focus on beginnings.
I can look ahead. This is a bit tougher. In some respects I look ahead with a healthy optimism. Aside from the aforementioned debt, I believe I am smart enough and talented enough to do anything I set my mind to. My head is full of ideas. I’m a servant leader and an entrepreneur. I love taking things I already enjoy doing and finding ways to make money from them. Those that know me know how much I love music and that I have plans to turn it into a business. Aside from the hurdle of money (see how that becomes a damn anchor?) I think the idea is solid gold. It’s something that, as every other door closes in my face, has stayed with me through recent history.
So, beginnings. It’s 2015. I have a few goals, some more personal than other, but in general I am striving to simply be better. I want to be a better person tomorrow than I was yesterday. Small steps. I want to avoid the grandiose goals that are unobtainable. I also want to avoid setting numbers on the goals. While a quantifiable goal is motivation for others, it’s pressure to me. Sometimes I lose sight of the process because I think the goal is unobtainable. This is very true in the face of temporary or circumstantial setbacks. So the goal for my goals, wait, is that redundant? Anyway, my goals are a little more abstract. I want to improve myself in mind, body, heart, and spirit. There are many things I enjoy that I’ve neglected the past few years. I love to hike. I love to visit museums. I love to read. I love to think, meditate, and contemplate. All of these things feed me in different ways. I hope I can grow physically, emotionally, inflectionally, and spiritually this year. Simple? Yes. Too simple? I don’t think so. Obtainable? In small steps, yes. I hope this time next year I can look back and say I am better person because of the journey I took in 2015.
