Forget Resolutions, Live for Today

December 31, 2009

Please Note: This is a guest post from Henri, a passionate new blogger who shares “Lifestyle Ideas For Conscious People” at The Wake Up Cloud.

A Toast: To New Beginnings!

Each year we begin anew, but does it really work that way? A lot of people make new year’s resolutions, but how many of them actually stick? The majority probably are forgotten within a few weeks.

What makes these promises stick? Do we have to be jolted by an accident or even be threatened by death to really want to change? I believe most people need something to slap them in the face and remind them that we are here for a reason.

We all have a purpose. We all have something to share. Let the coming year be one of sharing and connecting with others, because is there anything else? In the past year, this is something I’ve started to realize more and more.

Instead of chasing money and amassing more material wealth, I have started to focus on what I can give and it is slowly changing my life. The joy that comes from giving, sharing and making connections with people is amazing.

With the internet, you can connect with almost anyone. The beauty of having your own presence online is that people find you. I recently started my blog and I am already receiving e-mail from people I would’ve never met otherwise.

Looking Back

It’s amazing how much your life can change in a year. In the beginning of this year I was still a professional poker player making a living playing cards. It was slowly eating up my soul. When I began playing poker in 2004, I was passionate about the game and I was hungry to learn how the game was played.

One of the main reasons I started playing poker was to get out of the whole 9-5 thing, I wanted to be free and this was my out. I was washing boxes in a warehouse a summer in 2004 when I heard that a friend of a friend had made $500 playing online poker. That’s when I thought “If he can, I can”. I was in it mostly for the money, but I realized that there was a very interesting strategic aspect to the game.

In the last few years as my heart was pulling me in another direction, I kept playing and going against my intuition. I was afraid of abandoning poker because of the money I was making. I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to make a living doing something else.

I think this is a common theme for everyone in their life when they are transitioning from one thing to another. Fear of the unknown is a big stumbling block for most of us. It took me a few years to reach this breaking point and really say enough is enough. I do not want to keep playing poker and have money if I cannot be happy.

That’s when I started building websites about topics I was passionate about. This was in the beginning of the year. As time went on I discovered that I had fallen into a pattern of making money again. Although I was heading in the right direction, I was still not at the place I wanted to be.

This is what gave birth to my blog the Wake Up Cloud. It is what I am truly passionate about right now. It allows me to share and connect. I encourage everyone to have their own blog and share their thoughts. You don’t have to make money doing it. It is an amazing tool to connect and it opens doors for you.

Looking Forward

As my whole being shifts from one state to another, so does my external reality. I will be moving to another country and working harder than ever to get my blog off the ground. Whether or not I will be doing the same thing for the rest of my life I do not know.

In the coming year I will be sharing what I know, making connections and following my heart as much as possible. I am currently making my living off of my niche websites, but I would like to shift my focus towards my blog and be able to provide so much value that I will be able to make a living from it.

Luckily, I do not require a lot of money to live comfortably, so that is a goal that is more than achievable. I am surprised at how much money people think they need to live comfortably. I live a very simple lifestyle, yet I feel I have everything I need.

Simplifying your life allows you to work less, worry less and enjoy life more. This means that even if you can only make a small living doing what you love, it might just be enough if you live within your means. After all, the best things in life don’t have a price tag.

Living For Today

Something I discovered this year is that we have to learn to trust our feelings. If you’re living for the weekends and working a job you hate, you have to start taking responsibility. You alone are responsible for your circumstances.

You can always start working on something you love while working the job you hate. There’s no need to jump face first into a deep black hole, although that might be fun, the results might not. There will never be a perfect opportunity to do what you love. The stars will not align, so start now and you will see amazing things happen.

What about YOU?

What will you be starting this new year? Do you get stuck looking back? Or worry, looking too far ahead? What stops you from getting started on something new?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

(Photo Credit)

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1. Costa Rica is Paradise (And Why I Don’t Live There)
2. Net Worth vs. Self Worth: The Passion Paradox
3. Shifting from “Why?” to “Why Not?”
4. Seth Godin Answers My Five Burning Questions
5. how to be RICH and HAPPY: A Partial Review

Posted in Life, present moment