New Year Guide 2022

Now I bet some, if not all of you are thinking. 2022. Its gotta be my year. Now, I feel the same way, absoultely. I believe this year might just be a bit better than last year. In the sense, we perhaps have a bit more Freedom. We also know what's going on with the Pandemic and the virus by this stage and that of the guidelines being set that we can potentially, by our own choices, by our own Free Will. Do more things out in the World, in the name of sanity. In the name of your own Mental Health.

I think Lockdowns can only be effective in the short-term, it can't be the only solution. However lets keep things as light as possible. What can we do to ensure that we have have a positive 2022? There are countless things that one can do to boost our own Mental Health and our own self-eestem and perhaps our own self-confidence as well.

The way to do that? Is being kind to ourselves. 2020, happened, it wasn't the start that we thought it was going to be. It was the worst year imaginable for a lot of people. We experienced a lot of setbacks. For some, we experienced depression for the first time in our lives, some of us did hit that low, that rockbottom. Our lives have changed because of it. For some of us, we had to unplug from Social Media because I sure didn't want to have News all the time about the Coronavirus come into my fingertips. So I lived in my own Fantasay World, until reality became more appealing.

What were the pluses? We had more time on our hands. We had more time to relax, to recharge in a way, we also had an excuse to be lazy for the first time in our lives as my Jujitsu wasn't really on in 2020. However I am glad that its back.

Perhaps over the course of the past couple of years, you had plenty of time to think, to ponder, other possibilities. Perhaps to reflect? "Am I Happy with my Life as it is?" I bet many a soul searchings was done. Now that things are getting moving again, perhaps some of you are looking a Career Change, a change of scenery. Perhaps for the most of your life you have made enough money that you can do what you finially want. Some may call this early retirement but it doesn't necessarliy have to be, when you decide to do something else, perhaps, a different occupation than the one you are used to. But one that maybe more fulfiling because your passionate about it.

That is the key word here. PASSION. If you don't have PASSION, what do you have? PASSION is whats needed to make our lives interesting. Once we are we finally in possession of such fulfilment, you can never run empty. Your cup is always, almost full in a way. Now, this does not mean you'd have the energy for pointless arguments, because when one is in an argument that is very toxic? It is gonna drain us and will suck the life out of us. The only way, to prevent that from happening is to setup boundaries, setup ground rules. What are you going to deal with? Over, what are you not going to deal with? It may sound selfish to a degree, perhaps it is, but I would like to call it looking after your own self-interests for self-preservation. We are in an ever changing world and just like the jungle, its all about the Survival of the Fittest. It is Charles Darwin, it is Natural Selection. So you'll need all the energy you can get.

Now I have come to realise that if we embrace majority of our weekdays, we could actually get a lot done in 38 days. To become a success or on the way to achieving success. There is no particular rule book, no specific guide, to do this as Life is unpredictable. But in order to have the Careers we want, we have to negotaite with our Personal Life.

You wouldn't believe it, but I used to be that kind of guy where I would have hidden a lot of things, I would have had a lot of hidden depth for sure, but now I have literally become an Open Book. I believe Honesty in any situation is the best way to go forward in anything. When you're Honest, you can't be dishonest. And there is not a lot of Women out there that actually put you down for your Honesty, instead they praise it. They appreciate your Honesty. If Women, open themeselves up to you. You should allow a Chapter or two to be open in your Book. It is only Fair after all.

So no matter what happens, in our lives. I will say this, when certain people gets too tough? And it pulls us back a little from what we want to do. I am never going to Ghost People. I don't believe in doing it, especially if I am to talk to people to get to know them. I personally believe it is the most cowardly things one can do. Ghosting means blocking people without stating a reason or just being unresponsive for weeks, months and then a full year.

I think stating the Truth in how you feel is always going the best solution. Not only will you feel better, your communication skills will improve as a result and when we can practice communication and to discuss your feelings it should be "I feel that you are to blame", might be a lot better than outright saying "You are to blame". The difference is that "You are to Blame", will just explode into an argument as the other person will become defensive "Now, hang on" and state a whole pile of reasons of the stuff you might have done. Which of course, you will become defensive and then it will just be this tit for tat, which will drain us. When we start with "I feel..." on no matter what you're going to discuss, its a heart to heart. Don't forget, not everybody is narcissitic, some people actually care to be in your life and about your feelings. Perhaps that's not a bad thing at the end of the day, if we need to keep them at arms length? Sometimes saying that "today I just need a Quiet day" can be acceptable. I mean if we care enough about them ourselves, why feel the need to lie or hide?

So for what you want to do? No matter what you want to do. Focus on it everyday on most weekdays, but then be nice to yourself to have the weekend off to just chill. Reharging the batteries means we have the energy to start the week again with what we are doing. Its also the most healthiest thing to do. Especially if you have your own Family and you need to spend time with them.

Also its totally OK, to take some Time-Out time out for yourself if you have been flat out. We need to recharge the batteries, time after time again. Make a cup of tea, relax, put your feet up and watch your favourite TV show or Film. Or watch something new entirely on Netflix or Prime or on the BBC Iplayer, depending on where you are in the world. Or if you need to settle the head, a mindfulness tape. Or treat yourself, a Spa day or something. A nice relaxing swim perhaps. Or just have a long relaxing shower. Or listen to some music whilst lying down. Lots of things that we can do. Play y0ur favourite Video Game. Or even the Cinema, the latest release, now that things have gotten back on track in that regard.

Also has for New Years Resolutions, don't get hung up on it, some of mine have been transferred over. Like getting my Provisional Licence renewed, the office up in Coleraine is taking its time and that is basically backlog after Lockdown, but got to stay on it as I know it will get sorted.

The world is our Oyster, we must keep moving, but every now and then, chill.