“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.”
– Edgar Allan Poe
It is the trappings of approval. And, who doesn’t want to find acceptance? We mimic what works and gravitate towards that which meets with broad scale endorsement. The “Next Big Thing” or “Hottest New Trend” is hard to resist. None of us want to be left out or fall behind the curve.
Unwrapping Internet Explorer on Christmas morning, I was greeted by a headline touting the Hottest Jobs for the Year Ahead. On Christmas Eve, the top story was about Supermarket Villains and the promise that I would find better health if I would simply Eat This, Not That in 2012. Who knew that “Healthy Choice” was an UNhealthy choice?
It has begun. You are about to leave the “Ber Months” (SeptemBER through DecemBER) behind and enter the Days of Decision & Commitment (New Year’s Eve through January).
Father Time is holding the hourglass extended as the final grains of sand from 2011 continue to fall slow and steady into the bottom half of the crystal vacuum. In just a few days we will stand at our annual crossroads, etch something in stone and take our first steps towards making this year better than the last.
In some magical way, January 1 brings us all face-to-face with a clean slate. The year has taken its toll. There have been good times and bad. We have tasted victory and defeat. But, as the clock ticks down, we face midnight with a deep breath and the hope to start anew.
Group hugs everyone!
It seems that at this time of the year, more than any other, something within each of us yearns to be freed. We’ve played by the rules, colored within the lines and kept off the grass long enough.
We’re often encouraged to think outside the box, but we’ve been warned that living outside the box may be the first step towards living in one. So, while our thoughts may soar and our imaginations may surge forward like a thoroughbred in the starting gate; we keep our feet firmly planted on the path.
In the early years of our nation, groups of people banded together to establish community. Resources and responsibility were shared. Safety and purpose were group provisions. Land was cleared. Shelter was built. Food supply was developed. Assimilation brought strength.
Some never settled. Driven by an unquenchable hunger, they left the settlement in search of something new and fresh. Challenging themselves each day, they carved the path deeper into the wilderness. They were pioneers.
An inner restlessness kept them on the move. As soon as a comfort zone had been established, they grew uncomfortable. They lived to press on to the next thicket to be cleared, cross the next river and climb the next mountain. Status quo just didn’t suit them. They became known as Mavericks.
There’s a part of me that believes there is a little “Maverick” in all of us. It’s why self-help books are top sellers. It’s why we chase the next life changing diet or get itchy to seek out another option along our career path. It’s why we conjure resolutions on December 31st in hopes that January will launch a brighter day.
“I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.”
– Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The speech by Dr. King that echoed from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial wasn’t just about a movement towards racial equality. It was the dream of the human spirit screaming to be heard. It was the thumping of the heart within each chest, providing a drumbeat to which we must march. It was the voice of a Maverick, speaking for all who dream.
Dr. King dared to speak that dream out loud on August 28, 1963, and his “I Have A Dream” speech is regarded as one of the greatest in American history.
Your dream may beat softly within, but it’s loud enough for you to hear and that’s all that really matters. It’s your dream. Chase it! Give your inner Maverick freedom to run in the year ahead!
Well, Mark, I will say that December 31, for most people, brings reflection and, as you say, a yearning to make the next year better than the last. The thing I hate about these end-of-year reflections is that the resolutions are short-lived. Who says it’s better to start a diet on January 1? If your started on october 15 or July 1, look how much further ahead you would be. Bob and I were talking about this the other day. Who says the “new year: starts on January 1? Or is it just a delay tactic? I can keep being bad (eating, not listening to my “heart song,” etc.) because the change will happen with the new year. I am particularly sensitive to this at this point because last July, I made the decided that being a blogging/social media consultant and copywriter was not my life dream. I have just completed the first draft of my book and will be pitching it to agents at a writing conference in NYC next month! If I would have waited until January 1, 2012 to decide to be an author, I would be yet another year behind in my goals. So I say, yes, chase that dream. And don’t put it off!
I feel the same way, Judy. If it becomes noticible that change is needed, why wait for a certain day on the calendar?
I’m also a big fan of periodic review and assessment. I posted a blog in June of this year tied into Flag Day called Flagging You Down. Again, the theme of resolution played out.
Best wishes with that book. I know it takes a lot of committment and determination to get one to the finish line. I hope you find someone who is receptive to helping you trumpet it in the marketplace! TY for leaving a comment
Left for a friend on facebook… lol
Why do moments of brilliance have to occur at 3 AM, excite me, and hinder sleepytime?
Tim Forrest To access that special and all involved portion of the brain requires energy, relaxation, and stillness. Your daily schedule obviously did not allow for the idea to happen in the day and was forced to wake you up once those conditions were met!
I love that concept… Spoken from one who has often greeted his keyboard at 3AM because thoughts are demanding expression & pillows are most often waiting for me where I left them.