“How’s it going with year 2015?”
As a language tutor, I’ve asked
many of students this question. I’ve also gotten a whole plethora of answers,
ranging from the usual “okay lah” to an extremely detailed expository on it.
“Okay lah” is usually the more common answer though.
Back to the topic at hand, the
common thread tying most of these answers together would be two words:
‘excitement’ and ‘stress’.
Either way, most of us want to
start the year right and (hopefully) end it well. If you’re feeling either of
these two, we’ve got just the thing for each of you! We’ve even broken it all
down into nice categories for you, so read on!
“Okay, lah.”
Perhaps you haven’t quite thought
about it. Perhaps you defy all conventions and are apathetic about the year
ahead. Perhaps you just didn’t like the nosy teacher asking about your personal
year plans.
If you’re person one or three,
this would be for you.
Think through a handful of things
of what’s important to you. One year is not a whole lot of days, and most of
our personal experiences will tell us that while much can be completed in one
year, that isn’t always the case for the things closest to our hearts.
Think through what’s genuinely
close to your heart. Think about what really makes your blood race and gets you
excited about living – beyond just existing in this country. Think about what’s
going to help you advance in this life. We are mere beings with a limited
emotional and mental capacity.
It might just be time to
de-clutter and focus on those things. If you don’t care about whatever it is and
it doesn’t help you to grow as a person, cast it aside. If it doesn’t help you
to advance in your studies, cast it aside. If all it does is sap your emotional
energy, cast it aside.
“I am excited/stressed.”
Quite a number of us have already
made plans for the year ahead, and are excited for what lies in store for each
of us. Whatever it is, being excited about it and having a passion are truly
wonderful feelings to have. Not everyone is blessed to ever feel such a thing.
Meeting the end-goal, however, is
not driven by just passion and excitement alone.
We think about the rewards we
will reap and get excited about it. However, we tend to forget about the
problems that will lie ahead. During those times, commitment is what will pull
us through.
Think about what exactly it is
about the thing that makes you excited. Recognize it and hold onto it. When the
going gets rough, that is sometimes the only thing that you’ll have to keep you
going.
Let passion and excitement
motivate you. Have commitment to keep driving you forward.
