Here we are on the last day of the first decade of the current millennium. It is a time for pondering, I presume. A time to look back on the last 365 days and look ahead to the next. What have we learned? How far have we come? Where do we dream of going in the future? These are the most popular questions and blog topics for the entire month of December each year, increasing in count and frequency as each day draws us closer to the precipice that is the final minute of 2010.
To be honest, I have little patience for the repetitive, uninspired and unoriginal thought patterns that populate so many blogs at this time of year. They come in a close second to those aggravating and mindless list posts which are closely trailed by those headlines that overuse, misuse and abuse far too may adjectives in an effort to grab traffic.
You get the picture, right?
So here's my little rant to close out the year. I have no predictions of what next year will bring. Heck, I can't even guess what's in store tomorrow. I don't desire to dwell on the past, or give you what I would self-importantly call the "Top (fill in the blank)'s of 2010″. By the way, what qualifies anyone to say they have exhaustively researched the entire universe to come up with the top 10 of anything anymore? But I digress...
What I would like to say on this last day of 2010 is that I am wonderfully aware of the simple fact that it is no different than any other day in its potential and possibilities.
The first of January is not the only day to have a fresh start at anything - you and I can start it just as easily today or on January 2nd, or 3rd, or maybe in August sometime.
The 31st of December is not the end of anything either, other than the calendar year. Can I get an "amen"?
In this calendar year many things have transpired in my life. I have lost and gained friends. I have seen my eldest daughter graduate high school and start college. I have celebrated my wife's graduation from Aveda. I have proudly watched all 3 of my children grow and mature and impress me with the human beings they are becoming. I have moved my family from Florida to California, and then moved within Northern California again only a few months later. I have seen my freelance web and graphic design business grow in leaps and bounds like never before.
Most importantly, I have learned a lot.
What's funny to me is that I could stop for a minute at any given time, on any given day, and reflect in similar ways with similar results. As long as I keep on attempting to pursue my passions and live a life that is full of adventure, discovery, mistakes, successes, compassion, love and joy, there will always be genuine fulfillment.
And I don't have to wait until the end of the year to realize or remember it.
One of the things I see a lot of other blogs posting around this time of the year is a list of their top posts for 2010. I usually write these list posts off as yet another attempt to drive traffic, build links and fill up a publishing spot. I mean, who really would want to know that the 10 posts that got the most views on this blog in 2010 would make up a list like the one below?
- Don't Let Your Bad Attitude Or Ethics Ruin It For The Rest Of Us!
- Lessons Learned From My First Unhappy Client
- Is "Good Design" In The Eye Of The Beholder?
- 3 Distinctly Different Design Blogs I Love Because They Break The "Rules"
- iPad Impressions From An Apple Not-Fan Boy
- WordPress: Hire A Pro Or Do It Yourself?
- How to Best Promote Your Brand Using Social Media: 10 Top Tips and Ideas!
- 3 Keys To Attracting New Clients On Twitter
- Design Outside The Lines
- Should We Reevaluate, Redefine or Continue Regurgitating The 'Design Blog'?
Not you, right? No, I give my readers more credit than that. Those of you who read this blog regularly know that I try to continually challenge the status quo and get us all to question why things are the way they are. So you certainly would not be interested in lists like the one above that are found on so many other blogs in December.
As for predictions and resolutions, I can only tell you that I have resolved to never again enter a new year with a list of resolutions. In fact, I am predicting that I won't ever write a blog post about my predictions either. So you can breathe a sigh of relief if you happen to harbor the same aversion to such things.
Instead, let's learn from our past without dwelling on it and skip hand in hand into the future with a wide-eyed wonder and eager hunger for everything that each moment has to offer. I know you and I will be happier today, tomorrow, and throughout 2011 and the years beyond if we do. Won't you join me?
