2015 New Year Resolutions Work is important, but so is family, friendship, recreation and worship. Everything is all about balance in order to have a smooth sailing. Seattle Times Newspaper columnist Dr. Dale Emerson Turner The ancient Romans exhibited many wise insights into the conduct of lifes affairs - none better illustrated than the names they gave to important events. It was they who named the first month of the year January, after Janus, the god with two faces, one that looks backward and one that looks forward. It is great to look back to remember the good, the gracious, the friendships that deepened, the happenings that brought warmth to the heart, experiences that caused us to grow and those through which God became for us the living reality. Now is the time to forget the petty, the bitter, the small, the mean, and the unpleasantness. Now is also the time to look forward, knowing that the new year will have its uncertainties and disappointments, trials and testings, but knowing, too, that it will have its joys and pleasures, opportunities for making new friendships and deepening old ones, and a chance for new ventures and new experiences. Going forward---- like many others, I always try to make an effort to do a New Year resolutions when the fresh air of the New Year arrives blowing with hope in the first month of January. I have some goals that I want to tackle eventhough Im aware that I have no power within me to know about what the new year has in store for me. But I trust everything in Gods hands. He is the only One who knows what the future lies ahead. If I show to God that this is my hearts desire, and practice it with prayers and actions, Im optimistic that the power up above will not deny His graciousness to aid me in achieving the things that my spirit is longing for. I was encouraged by this oft quoted saying, God helps those that helps themselves. I believe that from the four corners of my heart. Like for example, I unceasingly beseeched the Divine Providence to give me the wisdom how to live a balance life. I confess that nowadays it is more easier said than done to achieve a balance life in our modern society, where the demands of life are so hectic and overwhelming. I fully understand the imporatance of living a balance life as a key to our journey success. I agree with Dr. Dale Turner when he wrote the thougths I quoted up above. Work is important, but so is family, friendship, recreation and worship. Everything is all about balance in order to have a smooth sailing. Ive heard the word balance many times before, but Ive never paid so much attention to it until I get older. It never occurred to me about the importance of balance in my life until I watched a circus. I thought that when the circus show begins, all I can do is just to sit down and entertain myself. No. I was wrong. Ive learned something valuable from the circus performers. Something that I considered the turning point of my life. If you have the eyes and ears open all the time for the learning, you will then surprise how an ordinary situation can dramatically gave new lifes perspective. As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, Every man that I met is my superior in some ways. In it I will learn of him. One of the circus performers that I meant, was about the tightrope walker. Im thankful to him for helping me to see the bigger picture of life that Ive never seen before, until I gazed him. Ive learned something good from him that I will never forget. To make it sense, allow me to describe based on what I saw how the tigthrope walker walks on top of a rope in the circus. It goes like this. The circus tightrope walker stands on a rope high above an anxious audience. He holds a long bar in his hands and anticipates the balance needed to make the journey to the other side. Adding to the suspense, he climbs on the seat of the unicycle he will pedal across the rope. The professional tightrope artist knows not to begin until everything is properly aligned. Only then does he begin the slow and careful journey. If at any time his balance waivers, he must stop to regain his composure. For the tightrope walker expert, balance is everything. Without it, failure and possible injury or perhaps death are certain. For those who’ve watched the circus extravaganza before, has the ultimate knowledge and fully understood about what I’m trying to depict here.I was one of those crowds whose eyes was fastened to the young fellow circus tightrope walker in amazement mixed with anxiety in my heart, as I watched him successfully reach the other end of the rope, while pedaling the unicycle on top of it. This event happened when my wife and daughter and I, were visiting at my sister, Tess Villasencio Singer home, for Christmas vacation in Corpus Christi Texas U.S.A. many years ago. The circus was in town, and we had the chance to view the circus guy tightrope walker’s unbelievable skills of walking above the rope calmly, that after he reached to the other side graciously, a thunderous applause greeted him with a standing ovation from the crowd for almost ten minutes, expressing their appreciations of his unusual talent. What was the secret of the tightrope walker’s success? I could not think of any other cogent reason other than he knew how to walk with balance using both his mind and body. Yes, balance is extremely important not only for the life of the tight rope walker, but also in our own lives. Like the tightrope walker, you and I need balance in life to insure a successful journey. When the pressures of living cause us to lose our balance, it is imperative to regain our composure before continuing. Motivational speaker and author, Glenn Van Ekeren in his book Simple Secret of Happiness, wrote, “There are no shortcuts in the quest for a balance life. The right tools are important, but not enough. Getting from one of the platform to the other is achieved by walking a straight line determined by the final destination you’ve chosen. And in the midst of your busyness, stop to ask, “Am I really doing what matters most in my life?” It didn’t dawn on me, until then, since I’d seen the circus performer tightrope walker amazing skills about the valuable lessons in life that I gleaned from eyeing him attentively, which was the necessity of living a balanced life. I realized that if we live out of balance in our lives, our health and families are greatly affected not only physically, but spiritually, psychologically, and emotionally as well. As you and I are heading to the celebration of New Year 2015, thoughts run through my mind, which I deem are important ingredients for creating New Years resolutions that will help to lead me to the path of a healthy and balanced life. And I will strive to do the best of my ability to apply these not only on New Year of the first day of January, but all throughout the year 2015-- and if possible to the rest of my life. Is it an easy task to tackle? No. Is it achievable? Yes. But, it is worth the effort to do it if you have the desires and motivations in your heart.. The hardest part is not the start, but how to finish successfully. I remember reading a story about a marathon runner who was asked, “What is the hardest part of the long run---the first 10 miles, the middle 10 miles or the last 10 miles.” Without hesitation, the runner replied, “The middle 10 miles. During the first 10 miles, he was fresh and strong. When he reached the last 10 miles, his spirit revived because the goal was in sight. “But it is during the middle 10 miles I feel most like quitting,” he said. That’s when the run loses its glamour and becomes a grind.” The secret in any endeavor to be successful is we have to implant a persevering spirit in our spirits when discouragement starts to shake up our goals of achieving our New Years resolutions. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistent. Anyway, what are these New Years resolutions that I‘m determined to accomplished for the entire year 2015? Actually there are five habits that I would crown upon my head to practice it diligently as the New Year 2015 arrives. I suspect that you also have already in mind your own New Year resolutions comes 2015. Thats great ! However I would not hesitate to share mine to you, with the fervent hope it will be useful for you also as your New Years resolutions. They are: 1). PRAYER HABITS 2). HEALTH HABITS 3). WORK HABITS 4). STUDY HABITS 5) RECREATION HABITS Let me close by sharing this thought from a Hindu poet, Rabindranath Tagore, who declared, “ God respects me when I work, but He loves me more when I sing and dance.” Have a Happy, Healthy, Safe and Prosperous New Year 2015 to one and all! WarVill and family
Posted on: Mon, 29 Dec 2014 03:12:47 +0000
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