The gift of the new year

Darling M,

Once again, most sincere apologies are in order. My lack of correspondence over the past months sits somewhere between rude and negligent. I could once again beg off that life got in the way – but we know that is simply a paltry excuse.

I have kissed 2011 goodbye, taken stock of the lessons I have the privilege of having been given over the last 12 challenging months, then indulged in a good healthy pat on the back for my achievements over the last year, and made a little oath to myself that 2012 will be the year of awesome.

I must impress upon you that each new year is a gift - it is a rare chance for us to do an assessment of ourselves, our lives and activate highly effective changes for the better. It is a present of hope and optimism for a beautiful brighter future. It is a time for reawakening, a moment for the phoenix of our spirit to be reborn from the ashes of the previous year, as it draws to a close. I have never been this excited to start a new year. It is a brand spanking new opportunity to be a better version of myself.

I like the idea of committing to positive change, of signing up to those things we so affectionately call New Year’s Resolutions, so I am detailing them here to act as a binding agreement with myself. A little plan, if you like - a beacon in moments of dark challenge. So here they are, listed.

-          Grow my business, out of its infancy, into a highly successful and entirely self-sufficient entity.

-          Get out and move my body regularly – appreciate that this time out will actually contribute infinitely to overall happiness and success.

-          Chillax, breathe and repeat the mantra “ce la vie”. Appreciate that life will go on regardless; challenging moments are simply like passing through the woods, whilst travelling along the yellow brick road.

-          Blitz my Masters subjects.

-          Cook more. Be experimental and lap up the creativity involved.

-          Maintain regular correspondence with you my dear – I made a commitment, and very much enjoy honouring it.

-          Own everything I am about, and everything I embark on. I am me. Everyone else is here to fulfill the purpose of being everyone else. I am the only one who can be me.

I have absolute conviction that achieving anything less than the above is simply selling myself short. It is cheating myself and those around me who believe in my potential.

Life is meant to be a journey. To stagnate is to desist growing, and simply exist. Everything in nature travels along a journey from birth to death. Think of people you know, who have stopped working on continual self-development. What happens to them? They become despondent. They start to blame everything and everyone else for their own laziness and unwillingness to change. No one can live your life for you. You must instigate the change and happiness you want in your life. Without growth and change, there is no life. There is no point. You may as well crawl into a hole and hibernate till it’s all over. What a pitiful waste of your one crack at the whip.

So as the new year blossoms into a wealth of potential, look over your shoulder at the path you have travelled so far – and start walking in the right direction to fulfilling your happiness, and becoming the most awesome version of you. Be kind to yourself and all those around you. Commit to being a better you.

... and always, keep squirrelling,

Squirrel Nutmeg