A letter to 2023

You might be unsure of your goal. You might feel distant, out of place, or somewhere out of tune. That elusive quality where time loses all meaning. You may not even know what it is that you seek but you sit there in your skin and you know something is making you uncomfortable. These are the questions of life that may call to you. Well, If you’re reading this I need you to remember that it’s okay. It’s not unusual or abnormal. The bigger questions of life and the role you want to play in that are great questions! Important questions! To not ask them and seek your own answers would resign you to an existence of numbness and one day, possibly regret. But it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s never too late and there is no deadline. The journey itself can be a tremendous reward. And don’t be fooled! The pursuit of worthy goals and self-discovery is not easy. There will be plenty of tough times, inner soul searching, periods of enormous movement and change, periods of stagnation, and possibly even despair. There will be times when you think you have found that groove you’ve always been looking for and then there will be times when you feel hopeless in the world of finding your place. This is normal. Everyone who experiences life will encounter variations of questions pertaining to their values that will challenge them at crossroads in life. Sometimes we need these inner callings but oftentimes, external forces to our sense of security in the world will push these inner callings deep into the mud. Instead, we are fearful of change or too focused on the negatives or “what if” scenarios. So we play it safe and ignore our inner callings. We’re all looking for “that career” that will reward us in the way we need to be rewarded. For some, it may be money. For others, it may be prestige, recognition, and yet someone else it is just the fact they get to “do what they love doing.” Everyone will have a unique journey to reach their discovery. The journey will be made intentionally or unintentionally. It will be confusing and painful or it can be enlightened by your own self-awareness. Don’t get so focused on the goal that you don’t get the full experience of the journey. The journey is so critical. During the journey, your experiences will offer you with so many valuable clues about yourself. Who you are. What makes you thrive. What puts you to sleep. The kind of people you like to work with. The people you deeply love. Your closest friends. The environments you prefer. All of these experiences and many more specific pieces are relevant to you, your profession, passion, skills, and personality. All of them can be incorporated into your goal. You, your life, your values, and beliefs, and many other things, will change. So keep dreaming, and keep looking at the goal. But do so with the knowledge and understanding of your journey. Implement adjustments to your navigation system towards your goal if it changes. The experiences of your life and the decisions and their consequences will teach you so much. Allow yourself to take that journey, without knowing when it will end or where it will take you. Get comfortable with not knowing. Keep seeking. Don’t be afraid to take that next step. Here’s to 2023. To many more good memories and success. I hope it brings us less suffering and more achievements. Happy new year.