I used to always wonder why people make such a big deal out of New Year’s Eve. All the parties, all the festivities, all the champagne. I mean, I understand that it’s been a year full of uncertainty, chaos, unpredictable events, and so on. But why does a date of January 1 matter to us so much?
And then I met someone by chance who said to me yesterday that he was going to start getting his life together on January 1st. He is a smoker and wanted to quit smoking and also wanted to save more, make a real change in his job, take better care of his family and so on.
I wished him well and on the drive home, it hit me: January 1st offers us a chance to Re-Boot our life.
It is the only point on a 12 month calendar that gives us a chance to start fresh, start something new, set a goal for ourselves and allows us to be free from a period of our life in the past.
As I learn to embrace the chaos and uncertainty of life these days, I realize that this point on a calendar is somewhat psychological. It is an illusion that we’ve created for ourselves. Calendars didn’t exist before we created them. Dates didn’t exist before we got stuck on them. So, why not be free from the calendars of life and use EVERY DAY as a way to Re-Boot our life?
As I think about my own life and how I am learning to manage stress and anxiety of the uncertainties of a career and of my own personal life, I believe that every single second, every single minute, every hour and each day, I get a chance to Re-Boot the way I THINK and the way I ACT. It is my choice to see the world how I wish to see the world. To take actions I choose to take. Each day is New Year’s Day.
For me, this 2012, I want to re-take my Embrace the Chaos pledge as my 2012 New Year’s Resolution. To keep trying to learn from others and to keep on understanding what it is to live life with uncertainty, to learn to adapt in a world where everything I thought I knew may no longer be true, to learn to fully embrace life the way it is – in it’s chaotic and unpredictable form. To fully embrace the chaos of work, a career, a business, at home with my spouse, with my kids with my family and friends. Life is good and to be able to embrace it each day is a gift.
My pledge is something I started almost a year ago and it is very simple but to me, it is important to keep it simple so that I can remind myself that each morning as I rise, I have a new day to renew, re-energize and to Re-Boot my life for the better and to fully embrace the chaos and go with the flow.
“I Pledge to Embrace the Chaos by Expecting and Accepting Chaos. I Choose to Think and Act differently. I am Grateful and will make positive choices everyday. I will say Yes and Do new things. I will Put Purpose to Work, Be Present, Build Deeper Bonds and Trust in Myself. I will focus on the important things in life and expect nothing except that which emerges from my own choice”
Happy New Year! | Embrace the Chaos! | Bob Miglani
