So for me 2013 ended with a bang – literally. My wife and I were heading out for an early dinner and planning to be home to watch a movie before seeing the ball drop on TV. Our plans were disrupted however in the form of a rear-end collision that might have totaled my car. Thankfully nobody was injured, and that is what is really important. That collision really made me think about how it could have been a much more severe accident. Life is precocious and tenuous – it can all change in the blink of an eye. This introspection coupled with the New Year has made me stop and consider what matters. I spent so much of 2013 focusing on the things that don’t matter – stress, worry, work. I want to make 2014 different. I usually don’t bother with resolutions – in fact they’ve always seemed silly to me. This year, however, I am making a few:
- Family – I want to spend more time with my wife and kids — and not just time plastered in front of the television. I want to come up with some good quality experiences we can share together.
- Stress and Worry – I need to stop sweating the small stuff. In the grand scheme, much of what causes me stress is purely inconsequential. I need to be a duck and let it roll off my back.
- Work – I need to work smarter and not harder. I need to be more a delegator and leader instead of a task master. I need to diversify my earnings and focus on building residual income.
- Fulfillment – I should reconnect with pursuits and hobbies that I enjoy and that give me a sense of accomplishment. I need to figure out ways to incorporate my love of history, literature, genealogy, travel, and sci-fi into my schedule to make more “me” time.
- Materialism – I need to remember that self-worth is not based upon having what you want. It’s having an appreciation for what you’ve already got.
- Health – I want to make 2014 the year I finally get serious about my health.
To totally rip-off Ferris Buehler:
Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.