Two Thousand Nineteen.

2019…..

What’s that one saying? Oh yeah - TIME FLIES.

Seems like just yesterday we were bringing our Slinkys to school, burning CD’s for our friends, and wouldn’t even consider missing an episode of Boy Meets World.

Two Thousand Twenty…..

WHAT!!!

As another year on the books closes I wanted to extend the conversation and reflect. Will you join me?

The end of another year and the start of a new one often presents opportunities. This is usually done in the form of a New Year’s Resolution. A few examples: get into better shape, eat healthier, go on a big trip, quit smoking, get out of debt, or spend more time with family.

To go along with those resolutions the start of a new year also presents an opportunity to reflect on the prior 12 months. Take a minute to look back a year ago today. Who were you? Where were you career wise? Where were you in your relationships? Where were you at mentally? Physically, emotionally, spiritually?

If you are in a similar state that is okay. If you hardly recognize that person, that is okay too. Our lives, and specifically years, can often feel like a whirlwind of events. We go through waves of fun times and positive experiences mixed with moments of disappointment and pain. I similarly covered these ups and downs early on in Wave Rider. We can all get caught up riding the waves up and down, over and over again without stopping for a second and assessing where we are. Am I happy? Am I fulfilled? Am I at ease? What is missing?

life is to be enjoyed, not endured

It happens. We often coast through periods of life. We can’t wait to clock out at five. We just need the weekend to get here. We want to change, to get better, to eat healthier, and find more meaning. But what do we do? We change for a day or two, we improve, we eat clean for week, and we revert back to what we’re accustomed to because it’s easy. The wild part is when we’re improving, eating cleaner, living a healthier lifestyle, we simply feel better. Why in the world do we revert back to a prior version of ourselves? Because it’s easy. Because we’re accustomed to what we deemed comfortable. Because maintaining a better way of life is “hard.” You know what else is hard? Being stationary. Not improving. Continuing to complain. Having a negative outlook on everything. Going through the motions of work. Going through the motions of life.

I’ve been there. Comfort scares me. Not the comfort of a home, of love, or a weighted blanket. Comfort in just being okay. Okay with work. Okay with myself. Okay with life. I may view this differently than many of you and that’s just fine, I would love to hear your thoughts. Comfort is coasting. I’ve coasted. After a prolonged coasting period in my life I finally “came to” and was about devastated. Time passed. Decisions that were made didn’t work out. Every day was the same. I didn’t love what I was doing, where I was, and who I was. I wasn’t enjoying. I was enduring.

This is the part in the story where someone grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you while blurting out “get it together!”

No one shook me. Perhaps no one is shaking you. What now?

Come on guys, you know this…

you are in control

I shook myself. You can shake yourself too. You are in control. You are holding the pen.

This can be a big reason that years seem to fly by. Would you agree? Time flies because we don’t pause and assess our situations. We don’t ask the important questions. We get caught up going through the motions and doing the same things over and over again. No wonder time flies! We often don’t challenge ourselves, seek out new experiences, or commit to anything. Instead of being present we are constantly looking forward to things - our couch, Netflix, the end of the day, the weekend that won’t get here quick enough. Always looking forward to something in the future? No wonder years fly by!

You will all have a few goals for 2020, no doubt about it. I want to challenge you. I want you to dig deep and set some goals for this coming year that are sustainable. Commit to a goal that will consistently enable you to develop. Commit to a goal that will gain you a new experience. Maybe it’s reading a book every other month? Perhaps it’s trying a new restaurant every time you go out to eat? Could you wake up and write down 3 things you are thankful for instead of immediately scrolling through your phone?

As we get to our goals for the coming year, lets also reflect. I invite you to copy and past the following questions into the message body below and submit your answers. Lets extend the conversation. Have you identified what you want to accomplish in 2020? Are you challenging yourself? Is someone holding you accountable?

For 2019:

1. What single achievement are you most proud of?

2. What was the most important lesson you learned?

3. What was something you did for the very first time?

4. What was the best gift you received? The best you gave?

For 2020:

1. What skill do you want to learn, improve, or master?

2. What do you want to achieve? (Career, Experiences, Relationships)

3. What is something you want to do every single day?

4. What is your “theme” going to be for 2020?

2019 for me was a year of discovery. I made a commitment to look inward and rediscover the person who had been missing for too long. I ignited the fire, reestablished my beliefs and values, and regained my energy.

2020 will be a year of action. This year has enabled me to dig deep and find my passions, what I value, and how I want to live. I am continuously growing and realizing the abundance of many great things in my life. I have identified what fuels me and how I am going to put that to work. Now it’s about the decisions, the steps, and commitment to that vision. It’s about action.

The deeper conversations continue to happen within our community! Be sure to subscribe via email and join the journey. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to me on any platform. I am accessible and active through email at theitsjustjakeblog@gmail.com or on the social platforms below.

You continue to inspire me with your thoughts, comments, questions, and feedback and it is greatly appreciated. Thank you for following along and the steady support.

Two Thousand Twenty.

Here’s to your best year yet.