Embrace the new year

For better or worse, 2008 now belongs to the history books. It was a volatile year in many ways.

An obvious example of this was the economy as energy costs soared for a while, and the government had to play a major role in bailing out banks.

Most experts agree that the recession we are in will likely continue for a while, so don't look for much good news from the economy in early 2009. Recessions can be scary especially if a person is looking at the possibility of losing his job.

Job losses are especially difficult to manage in our society because the United States is so materialistic. Many people are leveraged to the hilt when it comes to debt so adversity like losing a job compounds their already shaky financial position. The love of money has gotten a lot of us in trouble.

Between our economic problems and the war on terror, I don't envy the position Barack Obama will be in when he is sworn in as president in a couple of weeks. The seat behind the desk in the Oval Office is red hot.

However, on a personal level, how should we look at the new year? As I just outlined, there are a lot of challenges in front of us.

An appealing aspect of a new year is that it is a time of beginnings. At this point, 2009 is a blank canvas, and it is up to us to paint what the year will become.

Obviously, this doesn't mean that the problems we face have gone away, but we do have a lot of power when it comes to how the year will unfold.

Unfortunately, I don't think many people realize that they have this power. I believe that many people view themselves as being at the mercy of their circumstances. Whether it is dealing with bosses in the work place or the personal relationships we have, I think many people view their lives as being 'reactive' rather than 'proactive.'

To a certain extent, I agree with that. We can't always control our circumstances and that makes us feel uncertain and vulnerable. Nobody likes that feeling.

However, I also believe that too many people use this vulnerability as an excuse not to be more aggressive in their lives. It's easy to settle into a rut and believe that we cannot make a difference.

While it's true that many of us cannot change the world, we can definitely have an impact on our little corner of it. None of us may have the opportunity to impact the world on a global stage like a politician, but all of us can contribute positively to our community.

As for what a person should specifically do, I can't provide that. A person has to figure out his or her role on their own. But I do know there is a lot of work to be done, and there aren't nearly enough workers.

Flash forward to one year from now. Hopefully, we will all be here and be able to reflect on how we handled 2009. How are we going to look back at it?

Will we look back at it with regret because we didn't do the things we should have done? Or will we look back and marvel at all we were able to accomplish in one year? A lot can be accomplished in a year; it just takes the commitment to pursue our personal goals.

I've given you your blank canvas.

The rest is up to you.