Getting Ready for the New Year

Baggage. It’s heavy. It takes energy to drag it along. Then there are the uphill and curbs to be negotiated. You know what I mean. We go along in this life and we have to carry the baggage. It is part of our portability.

There are many types of baggage. One is the stuff we lug with us on travel. But there are so many other types! Here are some:

·         Relationships

·         Career hopes

·         Hobbies and special interests

·         Political ideology

·         Finances

·         Health

·         Spiritual matters, religion

·         Household chores

·         Fetishes: cars, clothes, appearance, oh go ahead, name the thousands!

·         Other?

Some of these are practical. Others are not! Some can be easily managed. Good Lord! Many are not easily managed! But manage them we must or life goes haywire! Here are some thoughts.

The major categories listed above in need of meaningful investment are:

1. Relationships
1. Self
2. Significant other
3. Family
4. Friends
5. All other
2. Career development
1. Education
2. Formative experiences; part time work, internships, etc.
3. Building a resume with goals firmly in place
4. Identifying a career path to fulfill your objectives
3. Health
1. Preventive health disciplines
2. Tracking current status over the years
3. Handling problems quickly for long term results
4. Realistic outlook that adapts to changing conditions
5. Being ready for end times
4. Making sense of the universe around me
1. Accumulating life knowledge

                                                            i.      Experiential and emotional

                                                            ii.      Science, fact and theory

                                                          iii.      History, the cause/effect/result of Man’s story

2. Merging knowledge with facts of life as we live it
3. Spiritual journey; religious contemplation; building one’s own theology
4. Understanding differences among our global brothers

All the rest fall into place if these four are being managed well.

What is the process that defines ‘managing’ these topics? I came up with these steps:

1.      What is my understanding of the topic itself (relationships, health, etc.)?

2.      What is my understanding of the sub topics listed?

3.      What research should I engage in to build a better understanding of #’s 1 & 2, above?

4.      Should I discuss this topic with a group of people likely to help me on this journey?

5.      Are there people affected by my understanding or lack of understanding I should build a better relationship with on this topic?

6.      Is it reasonable to expect improved relations with these people will make a difference in our lives? If not, perhaps we should forget this step?  If yes, work on a mutual agreement for managing differences of opinion

7.      Continue the journey toward full understanding on this topic; there is no end but death

A helpful suggestion might be working on item one, Relationships. These have a heavy effect on our self esteem and overall wellness. Take the topic in order of the sub topics:

          Self: how do I really feel about myself? Is there need for improvement? Do I   

                     have repeated problems with other people that may reflect on my own 

                     problems? Do I have a personal view of the future? Is it upbeat? Do I feel

                     confident about my abilities to adapt to other people?

Significant Other: do I find and develop a relationship with a significant other?

           Do I have issues with intimacy, sexual behavior? Is the relationship

           healthy and future oriented? Do we have fun? Do we laugh? Is this a two-

           way relationship?

            Family relationships: this is more complicated because there are so many levels

                      of family involved: parents, siblings, grand parents, aunts and uncles,

                      cousins, in-laws throughout all of these, etc. How well do I handle these

                      relationships? Are there recurring problems? How do I respond to those?

                      Do I run from them, or debate them, or work on them positively?

            Friends: less is expected in these relationships but they are very important. A

“best friend” is often the most important person in your life, or could be. Do I allow that to happen? For non-‘best friends’, do I have a fun and productive time with them? Can we handle life’s disruptions without high drama? Do we feel each other’s presence in our lives? How do we handle problem relationships as they occur?

            All Others: this would include how we meet strangers, or pull into relationships

new people like expanded family, neighbors, organization members, etc. These are important people in our lives. They are help mates in times of trouble. They help us manage problems and issues arising in other facets of our lives. How do I use these people as healthy resources in other areas of my life? Are those relationships kept positive? When the relationship sours, do I know why that happened? Was it my fault in any way? If so, what do I do about that?

This is a blog not a workbook for life building skills! But if I can help do that, so much the better. Something tells me we all have a lot of work to do.

Peace and success to you as you work your journey. I need it too!

December 29, 2011