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Positively Speaking: Take stock: Reflecting on 2021
By Toby Moore
For Capital Region Independent Media
Another New Year is upon us. It’s amazing how the years keep slipping by, each year seemingly moving faster than the year before. As I take stock of 2021, I encourage you to do the same.
New Year is a mixed bag of emotions for me. As I reflect on 2021, I think of many things — I think of the people who helped me, I think of the people who harmed me, I think of the goals I gave up and the goals I didn’t give up.
As we move into 2022, I have to wonder, have I headed in the right direction? If not, how can I change course? Do I positively impact others? Am I surrounded by people who positively influence me? How am I performing at work? Am I giving it my all? Am I aggressively pursuing my dreams? Am I helping others accomplish their dreams?
I am thankful for those who helped me in 2021. Many positive things occurred this year that couldn’t have happened without the help from friends, family and strangers. Thank you all — you make me feel gratitude that should last a lifetime. I need to make sure I let you know how much I appreciate you and help you in any way I can in 2022 and beyond.
This year I want to focus on helping those who helped me and those who haven’t helped me. I want to become a blessing in as many people’s lives as I possibly can. It reminds me of a quote by motivational speaker Zig Ziglar: “You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help other people get what they want.”
As I think of those who harmed me in 2021…
I want to say thanks to you as well. Thank you for making me more robust, aware, flexible and diplomatic. I’m tempted to feel anger and revenge, holding onto this poison forever. As I’ve written in the past, it doesn’t do any good to feel that way. It will only cause more harm. Please forgive my trespasses and anything I’ve done to impact you negatively. Let’s move into a place of mutual respect this year.
“Don’t go into the new year holding a grudge from last year; we cannot move forward if we are stuck in the past.” That’s excellent advice by Pastor Joel.
I should feel satisfied with the goals I did accomplish in 2021. When I achieve a goal, the good feelings are quickly replaced by acknowledging that I’m still not where I want to be, and the sense of accomplishment quickly fades. This year I will take the time to feel good about my successes, whether they be little or big. I don’t know who said it, but I think it’s true: “Success is a series of small victories.”
The hardest thing to think and write about are the failures of 2021. Many things I wish I had done differently, goals I didn’t take seriously enough, times I snapped at loved ones while under pressure, the food I ate that made me feel unhealthy, the negative thoughts I harbored for too long, the days when I was lazy and let procrastination take hold.
There were more failures in 2021 than I can count. I wish I could go back and fix my mistakes but it’s just a fantasy, the only thing that can be done is to focus on change. Changing my personality, my habits, my thoughts, my words and my actions.
I guess Winston Churchill said it best: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
Every day the sun rises again, reminding us we can start over. Every year gives us another chance. If, at first, you don’t succeed, try again. If you’re still alive, you’re still a contender.
Let’s be resolved to become better people, do the things we ought to do and let the pieces fall where they may. Hold firmly to our dreams yet be relaxed about how they occur.
In 2022 let’s be determined, happy, flexible, free from worry, free from doubt, free of anger and hatred. Let’s choose to feel optimistic and seize the New Year!
Toby Moore is a columnist, the star of Emmy-nominated “A Separate Peace,” and the CEO of Cubestream Inc.
Living on Purpose: Why, my soul, are you so downcast?
By Dr. William Holland
For Capital Region Independent Media
Since before the world was made, God has known you and loved you. He has never taken His eyes away or ignored you.
If you were to write down all the blessings and victories He has given to you, they would prove He has called you, has been guiding you, and has many wonderful things planned for your future.
Do you believe this today? Is your life heading in a direction that you are excited about, or are you downcast?
It’s common for many people to be filled with a mixture of emotions. Some are dealing with anxiety, while others are walking through a time of sadness and loneliness. Maybe something negative happened recently and you have not recovered from it. Maybe you have experienced a terrible loss and are in agony while trying to appear that everything is alright.
Life is uncertain and the fear of the unknown can be a little stressful.
Has disappointment in the past caused you to not be as confident or optimistic as you once were? Of course, we all have times in our lives when we are upset and feel that nothing is going right.
Don’t worry, you are perfectly normal. Life is a series of ups and downs and no matter how jolly of a personality you may have, there will be times when you search deep within yourself to see if you are being attacked or maybe you need to forgive yourself.
Whatever the case, it’s easy to wallow in our sorrows, but when we turn our attention away from ourselves and focus on loving God and those around us, the dark clouds begin lifting, and the joy and brightness of God’s presence will fill our hearts.
I want to share God’s word with you from Psalm 42:5 and repeated again in verse 11: “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.”
This is a passage from David and if you study his relationship with God, you know he had his share of sorrows, but he also learned how to encourage himself. He wrote this when his son Absalom committed treason but even through something as devastating as this he expresses that hope becomes even more empowered when everything seems hopeless. He examines his own heart and comes to the understanding there are times we will not comprehend why we are going through trials, but we are to obey and glorify God while we are waiting for our answer.
Instead of going to bed and covering our heads, let us look beyond our pity party and focus our eyes on the goodness of the Lord and how much He has done for us. Sometimes we are so absorbed with what we are going through, we forget all the things He has helped us with and saved us from.
I had two situations today that could have been tragic, but God intervened in them both. I was driving on the bypass and was getting ready to change lanes when at the last second I saw a car beside me out of the corner of my eye. If I had turned into that car, the outcome would not have been good, to say the least. My wife kept talking and was never aware of the situation as I breathed a sigh of relief.
The second situation involved me being on a ladder this afternoon on the front porch. I thought I was on the bottom step, but I was actually on the step above and fell onto the concrete and into the storm door. I broke the door and have a few bruises, but miraculously I was not seriously injured.
With two near misses on the same day, I’ve been humbly counting my blessings. I know it’s easy at times to feel sorry for ourselves, but instead of feeling cast down, may we consider where we would be without God’s constant mercy and compassion.
“Hope” is a small word, like “love” and “joy,” but it contains the power of the human soul to trust God and live every moment as if His promises are going to be fulfilled in our lives. Often, we are troubled because we are focused more on what we interpret as a disappointment than on praising God for providing another opportunity to appreciate His goodness.
Read more about the Christian life at billyhollandministries.com.