Why This Year (And Every Year) Should Be The Best One Ever

​Everyone was saying 2016 was terrible because:

• lots of celebrities died
• Trump got elected
• we voted for Brexit
• the £ lost value because of Brexit
• the £ gained value because Brexit has not happened yet

 
None of the above made any material impact on my day to day life. If I hadn't watched the news I would be hard pressed to tell something had changed.
 
It is easy to watch the news, regurgitate how bad things will be, prophesize about the next thing to worry about.  If you don't then you are stupid, right?
 
I think I had quite a lot to deal with last year and still I do not think 2016 was bad despite:
- I lost over £4k in my first business venture
- my wife took a leave of absence due to work related stress
- my dad was diagnosed with two types of aggressive inoperable cancer (and almost died from infection)
- a close friend of the family died of cancer
- even my hedgehog died of wobbly hedgehog syndrome.

But this was still the best year ever.  I have been having the best year ever since 2005.  This is when I made the choice to both appreciate what I have and consistently strive for better.
 
Since then, I have travelled the world in holiday sized chunks; increased by salary by 200%; met my soulmate and got married; and got in the best shape of my life.
 
What a waste of energy and time thinking that a whole year was bad and hoping that the next one will be better.  Hope is not a good strategy.  Do something to make your life better.  Your relationships, your tithing, your community, yourself.
 
And then maybe you will find that everything is okay.  Just as it has been all the time.  Turns out you have not practiced enough gratitude to notice yet.
 
If you are not sure what to be grateful for then maybe you need to recalibrate your give-a-shit-ometer. If you need any more reasons to be grateful:
 
· If you don't live in Aleppo and/or are not in mortal danger.
· If you can read this on the internet realise the majority of people on the planet cannot.
· If you can stream any documentary or read any book instantly on your iPad realise you have access to more knowledge than any other generation that has ever lived on the planet
 
This is the best time to live and we are convincing ourselves it isn't. Let's get a grip humans!

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