Taking Matters Into My Own Hands

For the past few years I have succumbed to the many popular New Year’s Brazilian superstitions said to grant good luck, wealth, good looks, and the ability to understand what your dog says when he barks.  OK, so I exaggerated a bit but you get the picture, right?  I have to admit, the years haven’t gone all that bad, but does credit need to be given to the superstition of eating 12 grapes, putting the seeds in your wallet, eating lentil soup, etc.?  Aside from being a delicious superstition, does it actually work?  Regardless of your feelings on the issue, I’ve decided to do things a little different this time around. 

I will not rely on superstition to make 2014 better than the last.  I believe I am competent enough to shape my own year, and at the end of the day you can only depend on yourself to get things done.  Am I right?  You may not agree with me but think about it for a second. 

Some of you may think, “No, you can always depend on your family and friends to be there for you.”  True, family and friends are important; scratch that, they are a vital part of your life...for support.  Knowing that you have at least one person that will be there for you no matter what is comforting and can give you the confidence to take on challenges to not only succeed, but fail as well.  HOWEVER, they will not (or at least should not) take on the challenges for you.  Therefore, who can you depend on to get things done beside yourself?

“Well, you can always depend on God.”  That is also, a very valid point.  Through prayer, we believe that God is listening to us and will give us the strength we need to do what needs to be done.  OK, let’s say that this is true, and consider the following predicament: you pray for God to give you the strength, luck, intelligence, whatever needed to land a job.  Something that in the past years, I’m sure many people have prayed for…and still do.  God gives you whatever you asked for, but is He going to send out your application?  Is He going to carry you from the bed, into the shower, into your clothes, out the door, into your car, and into an office for a job interview?  God may give you all the tools, but you are the one that must use them in the manner you best see fit. 

Please, do not misunderstand what I am trying to say.  I am not trying to convince anyone to isolate themselves from their friends and family, to not partake in the New Year superstitions, or to abandon their religion.  I am simply saying that I’ve come to the conclusion that each of these present benefits to all the dynamic aspects of human existence, but you need to work for it yourself. 

It’s time we stop relying on external sources to make our day, evening, week, month, year, and life better.  My time stops in 2013, and in 2014 I (me, myself, and I) will make this year better.  Shit just got serious!!!

Do Contra