Goodbye 2015
The final days of 2015 approach and it’s that time of year to look back on the past twelve months and reflect. Was it a year of great accomplishments for you? What were your significant achievements? My beautiful wife always forwards “pins” to me that speak to her, and she recently forwarded an anonymous quote that is relevant for this time of year, “Look forward with hope, not backwards with regret.” Simple words that cut right to the heart. Let alone looking back on the past twelve months, these words apply to looking back on your life as well.
My father passed away two years ago, but before his passing he was my partner at my golf club’s Member-Guest tournament for each of the three summers prior to his going to be with the Lord. If you’ve never had the opportunity to compete in one before, it’s three or four days of sun-up-to-sun-down golf and you’re in each other’s company for 12 to 14 hours each day. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to have my father as my partner because it gave us a significant amount of time to talk, about anything and everything, and occasionally hit a little white ball. I recall one evening sitting in the kitchen with my father sipping scotch and the conversation took a turn towards his career in the Marine Corps. He dearly loved being a Marine and in fact was in the Corps for almost 29 years, but he did regret having stayed in so long that he was unable to transition into the Private Sector. At the time of his retirement from the Corps, there was a stigma that ex-military could not transition into the corporate culture in the Private Sector. He ended up teaching Junior ROTC at a high school for 12 years where he inspired and impacted the lives of many young boys and girls in that span, but he always wondered about the “what if” had he been able to integrate in corporate America. I couldn’t be any more proud of what my father accomplished in his lifetime and I believe the path he took was what God intended for him, but it has left me with the feeling that I don’t want to be sitting in one of my kids’ kitchen looking back on my career with any regrets.
This is also a time to assess you growth in your personal life as well. I have many unfinished projects at home that I’m going to commit to completing this year. I have a sink in our powder room that has been installed for years that remains unfinished for reasons too silly to go into – but I’m setting a goal of completing that room this year. Another project on my to-do list is to fix an outdoor fireplace on our patio. I’ve also got two storage rooms that desperately need to be cleaned and a few patch-and-paint projects that have been put on the back burner.
I also want to commit to bring romance back into my marriage. I've been blessed to be with the most beautiful woman in the world and we don't spend enough time with just each other. Just as the tomato plant and flowers in our garden, they won't grow if they're not tended. It takes care and nuturing to grow beautiful plants, and love is no different. We've been together for over 17 years and I want to bring back the romance we had when we first met. i need her like the air I breathe and I smile when I see her walk into a room or I hear her voice. I'm commited to spending more quality time with her and just being present with each other.
Wow! When I sat down to write this post I didn't know what I was going to say. Set goals for yourself this year that will challenge you to grow. Set goals that will take you out of your comfort zone. Don’t be afraid to fail. If it feels uncomfortable and scary, it will lead to your growth.
Happy New Year!