A New Year and a New Dawn…
Each year at midnight on December 31st we herald in a New Year. Amongst Auld Lang Syne, toasts and kisses, we bid farewell to that which was, and welcome that to be. We reminisce about the past and anticipate the future. Change is the main course as we whet our appetite and savor a New Year and a new dawn.
As much as life is about consistency, it’s also about beginnings and endings. We strive for consistency, but life’s essence is temporary. Nothing is permanent and nothing is cast in stone. We are part of a greater river flowing through time – fluid in nature and dynamic in process. It’s our detriment to expect anything else. Disappointment and grief are the results of holding on to that which we can no longer hold on to. Herein abides life’s test.
As with the passing of years, every ending comes with a new start. Life’s beauty isn’t in how much money we earn or how well we live or how far we’ve gone. Those are practical things and practical things are among life’s necessities, but we mustn’t confuse practicality with beauty. Instead, beauty is the sum total on how we navigate the waves that life brings. It’s how we accept the change that strikes our shores. It’s how we conclude the endings, and more importantly, it’s how we embrace the new dawns. For beauty is in the journey, not the destination.
With each new dawn comes opportunity, and opportunity is the springboard upon which an interesting life is built. A life without opportunity is a life without hope. If we are to follow our hearts, then it’s incumbent upon us to seize the moment. Do we dive into uncharted waters or do we wistfully shirk away and vacate to safe ground? Comfort is the great enemy of opportunity and the insidious purveyor of regret. Unchecked it leads to a life of tedium and apathy. It’s our decision and ours alone, as to whether or not we advance to an existence of beauty or fall into the dreads of torpor.
Roman philosopher Seneca (54 BC – 39) wrote that “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
We bode well to remember these words as we face life’s trials and tribulations. All is not meant to be, but all is meant to be given. We must remember that everything has a time and place, and it is for us to discover that time and place. Hence, we must give of ourselves before life will give to us. Do we risk doing nothing or do we risk taking a chance? Do we risk a new dawn? (see Risk: The Drug of Life…)
So as we embark upon this New Year, no matter our perspective and no matter our circumstances, we must move forward like we’ve never moved forward before. We must be bold and we must take action. The winds of change are here and a new dawn has arrived. It’s time to sail…
For more check out the Global Ebook Awards GOLD & SILVER Winner of 2014 & 2016, The C.A.T. Principle: Change, Action, Trust – Words to Live By available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. See the latest Amazon reviews here.
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A 2014 Global Ebook Awards GOLD Winner for Best Self-Help Non-Fiction Ebook.
A 2016 Global Ebook Awards SILVER Winner for Best Self-Help Non-Fiction Ebook.