Making Time For Myself And People (2021 Goal)

I'm not big on making New Year's resolution. I can't even remember the last time I celebrated a New Year's Eve countdown. Year-end has always been hectic for me. Christmas passed by as a flash.

Still, 2020 has been a crazy year, and I should really look towards 2021 with a heightened sense of renewal. I'm neither young nor old, but stuck in a weird in-between age. Never mind, my mind is still up for a paradigm shift!

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From 2021 onward, I will make more time for myself and others around me.

Sounds rather simple. But people who know me well, know me as a ghost (or a person possessed by one). I have this distant glaze in my eyes. I get restless and impatient easily. I'm prone to cutting short small talk, or just lapsing into total silence. In short, I'm rather aloof and reserved.

Even last week when I finally returned home for Christmas, I was too caught up with events and deadlines. Only my body was there, my mind was wandering elsewhere. Sorry, Mom and Dad.

I'm not sure what needs changing. My ikigai keeps me alive. And my ikigai requires me to keep busy everyday, and focused on the duty that's entrusted in me. What's this ikigai, you ask? Here's how's I've explained before:

"It’s a Japanese word with no direct English equivalent. Loosely translated, the word means “the reason of being”, or more poignantly: “the reason for which you wake up every morning”... Our ikigai is not static, and can change over time. Our ikigai shapes our life goals and plans. Our ikigai can manifest in many forms – fighting your clients’ case in court, spending quality time with your family, or even tending to your Bonsai garden...Every morning, I unfailingly wake up before 9am. Without an alarm. No matter how late I slept last night. Even on weekends. That’s how excited I am to start a brand new day. That’s how passionate I feel about life. Ikigai is the secret to my happiness - as well as yours."

So isn't the solution aimply to add more ikigais into my life? I don't think there's a strict rule setting a maximum quota. But setting too many goals in life is just setting up yourself to failure for each on one of them. It's fine having multiple KPIs, but they must all still relate to an overaching unitary goal...

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I won't be changing my ikigai, of course. I haven't even come close to realising it. Still, a big part revolves around making others discover and realise their own ikigai. That's one of the driving reasons why I'm still writing on here.

But having a big broadcast message is just one way. I should really get up and close personal. Talk to people, one-on-one. Hear their problems on a granuler level, and offer more practical advice. Stay in touch more, and stay in step with their lives.

So that's my simple goal for 2021 - staying in touch with people. Don't freak out if I suddenly give you a buzz after a long absence. Stay safe, talk soon!