We’re at the dawn of a new year and who the fuck cares?! I do. Ultimately, the biggest tangible change we see is the need to purchase a new calendar, but that need comes with weight. It comes with hope for a new season in life. A new year gives us a fresh start and a new perspective. These changes can be helpful to us and give us the chance to change the lens we see life through. At the risk of getting on board with the “New Year, New Me” bullshit, I do think this is the perfect opportunity to examine our past year, look to what went well and what went awry. It’s a chance to look back intentionally, knowing that all the bad can’t be changed but some can. Some good could have been better. Goals and aspirations are a good thing and one way to be intentional with our lives. 2019 gives me hope and the desire to live a life worth creeping on.
We’re always being preached to. Whether that’s by the local church, our motivational podcasts and icons, media advertising or the movies we know and love, everything has a message. You’re reading one right now! So often, when we respect the people selling the message, it’s easy to buy in and accept it as truth. There’s something counterintuitive about taking that extra moment to look at what’s being said, question whether or not it’s true to you and allowing it to impact your life accordingly. I believe that every person has the right to think and speak for themselves. I also believe that the minute you start telling somebody how to feel, you’ve crossed a line into propaganda. Be vigilant of everything given to you as truth.
We’re all afraid of the same things. John Carpenter has said that it’s these fears that unite us as people. The idea that a werewolf is hunting you down or a poltergeist is waiting in your tv is absolutely terrifying. But there are deeper, more natural fears we all share. Pain, abandonment, loss, the unknown, the inability to be who we want to be… these are fears that most of us can relate to. We’ve felt pain, we’ve been abandoned and we’ve suffered loss. By nature, the unknown will continue to be unknown, but the one thing we do have control over is our mind. Yes, there are some circumstances where people less fortunate don’t have the luxury of being in control, but the percentage of us who can and are reading this have the ability to think and feel for ourselves.
I believe that in order to live a life worth creeping on, you first have to know who you are and have an idea of where you’re going. You have to know what you think and what you feel. In order to create tangible goals for your life, you have to have ground to stand on. My only goal is to challenge every reader to think, feel, act and speak for themselves. As terrifying as it can be, we can’t live a life of fear. In order to progress, we have to challenge ourselves and fight against what we fear the most. We have been given minds for a reason. I imagine that reason is to be used.
Good luck to you and your journey this year. Let us know what your goals are for 2019!
-Josh T. Romero
