I know I said I’d abstain from posting for a couple of weeks, but I found this lovely video and I had to share. As another year is upon us, I find myself pondering that classic wish, “Happy New Year.” It’s not years that are happy, though, it’s people. Things just, well, happen and we are the ones who attribute meaning to them.
It’s all very much like that classic Chinese story I share on Pearseus:
A farmer and his son had a beloved stallion who helped the family earn a living. One day, the horse ran away and their neighbors exclaimed, “Your horse ran away, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
A few days later, the horse returned home, leading a few wild mares back to the farm as well. The neighbors shouted out, “Your horse has returned, and brought several horses home with him. What great luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
Later that week, the farmer’s son was trying to break one of the mares and she threw him to the ground, breaking his leg. The villagers cried, “Your son broke his leg, what terrible luck!” The farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
A few weeks later, soldiers from the national army marched through town, recruiting all able-bodied boys for the army. They did not take the farmer’s son, still recovering from his injury. Friends shouted, “Your boy is spared, what tremendous luck!” To which the farmer replied, “Maybe so, maybe not. We’ll see.”
Such was my frame of mind when I saw the video below by Kristina Kuzmic. Like her, I tend to focus on my failings instead of successes, so this video made me have a rethink. For, you know, maybe the key to a happy new year is not what that year brings us, but how we deal with it.
Enjoy and may you be truly happy in 2018!
A nice reminder. I did start doing this last year but life got a bit difficult and I stopped. I will try again this year. 😀
I’m curious to see how long Electra and I can keep it going 🙂
I believe you have it in the bag 😀
Thanks for sharing the inspiration Nicholas. Happy, healthy and prosperous New Year to you. 🙂
To you too, Debby 🙂
Thank you. 🙂
Nicholas, Happy New Year! Thanks for sharing the inspiring video. Every day, I thank God I’m alive and blessed with two wonderful sons and their families! 2017 promoted me to great-grandmother twice. In retirement, something good happens everyday, even bad things have brought something good. Best Wishes for 2018. Christine
A great-grandmother–amazing! I’m so happy for you 😀
Inspiring video. Thanks so much for sharing it!
A pleasure! I hope I can now practice what I preach 😀
lol 🙂
Excellent video, Nicholas,…. and most of the time it is about perspective, isn’t it? I wish you a wonderful, creative, bountiful, healthy and happy New Year!
Thank you so much, D! You too 🙂
Happy New Year, Nicholas. Thank you for the interesting perspective.
Thank you so much, John! You too 🙂
🙂
Thanks for sharing the lovely video, Nicholas. Happy New Year 2018 to you and yours. 🙂 — Suzanne
Thank you, Suzanne! You too 🙂
I managed a year of positivity in 2017, and have started today in the same frame of mind. Let’s hope I can keep it up. Have a great 2018, Nicholas, and my very best wishes to you and your family.
Pete.
Thank you so much, Pete! Here’s to a positive 2018 🙂
Love Kristina’s videos! Thanks for sharing, Nicholas. Happy New Year to you and yours! ???
Thank you, Felicia, you too 🙂
Fabulous share, Nicholas! Happy New Year to you and yours! 🙂
Thank you, Natalie, you too 🙂
That is such a simple thing to do, but if it changes a person’s outlook, it’s a huge thing. Thanks for sharing, Nicholas. Happy New Year to you and yours. ��?��
My thoughts exactly. We keep hearing inspirational stories about people turning their lives around, but rarely do we get the *how* they did that.
Maybe this is the year we’ll make those changes.
Hi Nicolas,
That was beautiful. Thank you for sharing. Have a happy and healthy new year.
Thank you, Chuck, you too 🙂
Happy New Year
Thanks, you too 🙂
Thank you for sharing. It has been a tough year with lots of ups and downs and big challenges. I can see that finding even little things to be thankful for may chip away at the big nasty things and let a little light in. Looking to be a happy person in the new year.
It’s amazing how many of us feel that way. Let’s hope 2018 makes it easier for us to focus on the positive 🙂
Thanks for sharing! About thirty years ago, I decided to choose happy. It’s hard work to constantly look for the positive and to put on the appearance of being happy-go-lucky instead of struggling, but over time, it becomes a habit. Sometimes I slip, but little things, like this video or a coworker who needs the choose-to-be-happy talk, remind me that I decided to be grateful, giving and happy.
“Choose happy”–I love that 🙂
Happy New Year, Nick! <3 Thanks for sharing the proverb again and for the vlog motivation – we do take so many things for granted that should be life-enhancing and sustaining. Positivity is key to inner happiness and your ability to contribute purposefully to the world and people around you – believe in the happy you! 😀
“Believe in the happy you”–I love that! Thank you Jan 🙂
I recently reread ‘The Obstacle is the Way’ written ages ago in the year 170 by Marcus Aurelias. Same universal sentiments. It’s a great book to dip into whenever one is gloomily fixated on what is going wrong. I highly recommend it. Thank you for your posts over this year, especially the ones about old manuscripts.
Best for tomorrow and the next 365. cheers Veronica
Thank you, Veronica; you too! I’m familiar with his works; I believe he wrote it on the battlefield?
Happy New Year ???
Thank you, Ritu, you too 🙂