December 19, 2011

Thoughts on growth and holiday expectations

Ah the holidays...A time of family, togetherness, gifts, and...Oh yeah, exams. So many of us have them. So many of us have had them. In my case, I have probably had over 40 of them by now. They usually fall on my birthday (Dec. 17th). But not this year.

That makes me think. The past years have seen a lot of changes for a lot of people. In my own life I've had a big shift in outlooks and attitudes over the past 6 years or so. I also did a lot of growing up and I've still got a lot of growing up before me. I've noticed that the same can be said for other people too and I think that's a good thing.

The change has indeed been growth. Sure, not everyone's circumstances changed for the best at all times. Bad things happened to me, bad things happened to others. I think we all came out stronger for it in the end, though.

Christmas is the one holiday where everyone is supposed to be happy. For that reason, it makes sense why we started doing New Years resolutions. People who aren't happy see that as a time to make a change in their lives. Still, I think that sometimes too much attention is paid to those traditions. Maybe it should be less about forced happiness for some people and more about some type of reflection, noticing that even if things aren't going that great for you that there is a better outlook in the future. After all, when you look at the past and consider the bad things that have happened, we all got through them before so what would be so different about this time?

For those of us who are having a good holiday season (and oh boy am I ever!), carry on and enjoy the festive spirit.

Life is about finding something that makes you happy in any given situation, no matter how challenging it might be. In that way, we can all relate no matter what condition we're in. I think it's the outlook that's most important. If you've got a positive outlook then you'll find more good in the world whereas if you're outlook is negative you'll focus on the bad. People find what they expect to find. Situations, life, and the holidays flow like a river. I've said it before and I'll say it again: We're in a boat and we're floating down that river, so try to enjoy the trip, okay?

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