Ayo Al: Don’t Start the New Year with Baggage from the Past

So it’s a new year – that time of the year when people begin to swear to have new identities – ladies write out goals and men vow to achieve a whole lot.

It is that time when you take a look through the previous year and pick out the good and the bad, the things you did good and those that were not too good. It is that time when you pick out lessons from each experience and vow not to repeat mistakes you made.

Toward the end of last year, I began to reflect on how the year had gone and if I was happy with all that went down. For a while, I felt 2017 had not treated me fairly enough, but I later realised that I had been weighing how awesome the year had been by the number of successes I had, and not by how happy I had been, or the amount of good that had come out of the year.

I remember that my 2017 started with a bang. I got an invitation of a lifetime and for a long time, I was astounded that I had been offered. But guess what? February down to September was hell; really tough. But things got better towards the end of the year.

In 2017, I was defrauded (yes, scammed) and till now, I live with the scars. But I know I’m going to be more careful now. I went through a process too: growth, knowledge, self love, and much more. I learnt that one can move on from a relationship no matter how long and still do better. Yes, I learnt that it is okay to want more.

Therefore, unlike others, I’m not rushing into the new year with too many exaggerated thoughts and wishes. Of course, I want to be better and do better than the previous year but I know that it might not come overnight.

2017 had taught me that your most important wish may comet through just at the last minute, when you have given up. There is no set time to it.

I too have so many things I aim to achieve this year, I have many things I want to try my hands out but guess what – unlike last year, when I was too eager for success and was not thankful enough for the good things and lessons that came my way, this year, I would enjoy my successes more.

This year, I am going to enjoy my success , I’ll learn from my mistakes too.

This year, I’ll be better, I’ll do better but I won’t do insane things all because I want to prove a point.

It is okay if 2018 has started sourly, or not as you expected but please know that, it doesn’t mean the year would not be a good one.

Overall, appreciate you, love you, aim to be better, do better but do not kill yourself while at it.

It is absolutely okay if you don’t have your first degree at 22, if no one has put a ring on your finger at 30 or if you haven’t been able to make that business work at 45. It can still happen and trust me, it will.

Do not go into the new year with baggage; go with peace and be hopeful.

May we all have reasons to smile genuinely in 2018.

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