2019 - A Year of Opportunities

Another year passed. What are your New Year's Resolutions? Or have you become a 'pessimistic realist' who thinks that it's no good? Or perhaps you have taken the new year as a reason to take important decisions and start over. It's important to learn from the past, but also to make peace with it and move on, not allowing past mistakes to hold us back. Many opportunities are ahead of us! So let's look at 2019 as a year of opportunities. 

Opportunities come in many shapes and sizes. There are big opportunities in terms of career and finance, but there are also small opportunities that sometimes make a big difference. Often people are too focused on seizing their own opportunities that they sometimes fail to see how to help others seizing theirs. And, of course, there is great benefit in helping others succeed! Regarding this important aspect of life, Tom Ziglar said the following:

Success is when you achieve the good things life has to offer. Significance is when you help someone else achieve the good things life has to offer. -Tom Ziglar

Personal success is great and important, but it's not always sufficiently satisfying. Deeper satisfaction comes from attaining significance: helping others succeed. In a 'dog eat dog' world few are brave enough to risk being disappointed if an attempt to help others fails or isn't appreciated. But in life we need to take risks. Of course, we must not waste our time, energy and resources on the wrong people and things, or, in the words of an ancient Sage with present-day relevance, 'Do not give what is holy to the dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine.' No other than Jesus Christ advised us not to invest where the resources will be squandered and wasted; this is simple wisdom and caution (Matthew 7:6). Every smart investor wants a return on investment. But the same wise Teacher also encouraged people 'to walk the second mile' (Matthew 5:41), i.e., to do more than is expected, to give more than is required, and to sometimes sacrifice even when a risk is involved. 

This year we should focus on making an impact in small things, helping others succeed, and thereby find significance for ourselves. There is satisfaction in seeing others succeed. First of all, of course, our own children and relatives, but beyond that also our friends and allies. But we shouldn't stop there: helping a stranger is very powerful thing. 

The story of the 'Good Samaritan' is world-famous. Again, it's a story made up by the same wise Teacher mentioned above, Jesus Christ. This ancient Hebrew way of teaching by illustration always left a powerful impact on the hearers, especially when they were personally convicted of their lack of action or their limitation in doing what is good and right. The point is that the one who helped was the one it was not expected of, one who had no obligation to help, but still made the difference. The 'good stranger' proved to be the 'good neighbour,' rather than the officials of whom more was expected. But of course they had their excuses, like we all, don't we?

We can, however, make conscious decisions to risk making a big impact in small things. Why not? Another ancient sage of the time of Christ said, 'If not I, who? If not now, when?' Hillel's words remain true. Will we take the challenge? Some opportunities will show up again, others not and we better take them when we have the chance!