What Year Is This Really?

Thursday January 1st, 2008 - Lake Villa, IL

2009 doesn’t feel a whole lot different than 2008 which was much the same as 2007. It all runs together and it being a new year really doesn’t mean much. What year this even is doesn’t seem to be universally agreed upon. The Chinese calendar is disputed by ‘experts’ and depending on who’s talking the year we’re in is either 4707, 4706 or 4646. Go figure.

The Jewish year is 5769 and that’s a whole different measuring stick completely. What about the Vietnamese ‘Tet’ celebration? I wonder what year they think it is? Everybody is on a different calendar around the world so today isn’t really as important as we believe.

That sure takes a lot of pressure off. I think we should all go out and order a pizza and a big chocolate malt and not have to worry about those stupid resolutions that will only get broken within the week anyway. Don’t be a hypocrite. Light up a cigarette and live life.

I never smoked so at least I don’t have to worry about pretending to quit for a couple of days. It’s just another beginning to just another month but I do want to keep improving no matter what month or year it is. I think true success comes from doing something positive and productive every single day of every single year. That’s what will lead to big success.

Big success is a lot of small successes strung together and that’s what I’m trying to do. I did a lot of good things in 2008 and unfortunately some stupid stuff too. If I can cut out as much of the stupid as possible and add even a little more good this will be an upbeat year.

I took a few hours today to attack some of the piles in my life. It’s always a fight to beat those damn piles. Piles of emails. Piles of laundry. Piles of receipts to sort out. Piles of all kinds of things. Books to read. Calls to make. People to contact. I’ve always got at least a pile or two stacking up in my life blocking out my sunshine. I need to maintain my piles.

This is my prime time now. Wasting any more time than I already have is a perfect plan for spectacular failure and I don’t want to even think about that. It’s up to me to look for a way to salvage a good life despite where I came from and that’s my focus as of right now.

All the past is gone and the mistakes have been made. Now it’s up to me to make up for what I can and finish the race of life with a strong kick. I don’t intend to get bogged down with minutia and trivial B.S. so I started the process of getting myself in motion for 2009.

This will be a great year if I knuckle down and FOCUS. I need to improve in a lot of the same things I wanted to improve on last year and the year before that. I did improve some but not enough for my liking. I’ve never had that one ‘magic year’ but 2009 could be it.

I want to ramp it up and take things to a much higher level. Let’s see how high this life can be tweaked without committing a felony or losing my dignity or self respect. I want to be remembered as someone who let it all go and gave his maximum effort. I want dented cans in future generations to be inspired by what I’m doing now. This is my time to shine.