Happy New Year!  Welcome to the first  blog post of 2008!

While I consider myself a rather upbeat, optimistic person, as I grow older,  I find myself entering each new year with a mixture of excitement and anxiety, with the anxiety portion making itself just a teeny bit stronger than the previous year.

I wonder why?

It could be any number of reasons but it seems that the older we get, the faster time goes by, which means the closer you are to the end of your life.  Sounds morbid?  Well, that may be so, but for those of you in your 40’s, 50’s, 60’s or 70s, I am betting many of you are already nodding your head.  

As we enter the new year, I’m already thinking, “Gosh, I’m going to be 48!!  In another 2 years, I’ll be 50!”  I remember thinking when I was much younger, every time I met someone in their 40s or 50s, I always thought to myself, “My Gawd, you’re so OLD!”

Suddenly I’m there!  Where did the time go?

Not only am I thinking about my advancing age, but I tend to analyze where I am in my life, how much I’ve achieved and how much more God has up his sleeve for me.  And then I wonder whether or not I’ve made Him proud with what I’ve done so far.

While in this analytical frame of mind, I sometimes wish I knew what was in store for me.  From time to time, I find myself wishing I could see the future laid out in full technicolor. 

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if, for example,  I knew who I was going to meet, when and how my first book will be published or the results of my choices?   

But then I’d stop myself and exclaim, “If I knew all of that, it would mean I’d know the exact date, time and cause of my death!”  Would that be something I’d want to know in advance?

I don’t think so.  How about you?

So what to do when you can’t predict what will happen in the new year?  I find it helps me to look back and recapture some of the achievements of the years past and see how God was truly watching over me even when I shut Him out.  By doing this, I am reminded that no matter what happens in the new year, I will continue to be watched over and cared for going forward. 

Why don’t you try it?  Get out a piece of paper and write down significant achievements over the years, going back as far as you can.   Stick with the positive highlights of your life.  If you don’t remember anything for a particular year, skip it.

You’ll find that this exercise will help you gain a new sense of perspective, showing you that while you’ve had many challenges along the way, you’ve managed to get through them in one piece.  You will find that God never gave you more than you could handle and that you learned valuable lessons along the way.  You’ll see that everything happened at just the right time, in the right place with the right people for all the right divine reasons!  

As you work your way up to the present year, you’ll see that you are where you’re supposed to be.  God is very happy with you and loves you more than you’ll ever know.  He does not judge or criticize what you’ve done with your life.  He has been with you all along and will continue to be with you if you  just let Him in the door.

You’ll see how neatly everything was put in place to prepare you for what was to come even if you didn’t know what the future held for you.  Come with me and take a look at some of the things that have happened in my life and tell me if you think it was divinely orchestrated or not. 

Every time I do this little exercise, I feel better because I know that based on past experience, something magical is going to happen for me in the new year.  While I do not know what it is, I know it will be life transforming and take me to an even better place.   The same is true for you.

How could it not?  Take a look:

• 1990:  Took a big chance and resigned from a safe, secure 9 to 5 bank job to become a commissioned-based stockbroker.   Was a struggle at first but paid off later.  
• 1995:  Stopped being a party boy, lost 20 pounds, earned 6 figures (as a stockbroker) and appeared on national CNN. 
• 1996:  Joined Toastmasters to learn how to become a better public speaker.  Had a spiritual revelation to quit Wall Street to become a speaker, writer and eventually pilot.  Began to hone my writing skills by keeping daily journals - this eventually led me to writing short stories about my life’s experiences.
• 1997:  Won a humorous speech contest in Toastmasters.  
• 1998:  Moved from New York City to Michigan to co-author a book that I thought would make me “rich and famous.”  (This was my ego talking).   Was invited to appear on the national Leeza talk show to thank my former fifth grade teacher for saying THAT’S RIGHT STEPHEN!
• 1999:  Book project that originally brought me to Michigan fell apart - had to decide whether or not to return to New York City.  Thinking God wouldn’t move me a thousand miles away for nothing, I decided to stay in Michigan.  Did odd jobs to survive plus the occasional speaking engagement.  Became a published writer for the first time with a story in the national best-selling ”Chicken Soup for the College Soul.”
• 2000:  Found myself a reputable literary agent to represent me in my quest get my first book published.  Discovered by accident that deaf pilots had been in existence since the 1940s, which re-ignited my childhood dreams of flight.  Began flight training, not knowing how I would finance it but did so through unexpected sources of income.  Published a second short story in a book called “heartwarmers.”  It was an Amazon best-seller that year.
• 2001:  Literary agent from previous year and I parted ways when no publisher could be found for my book.  Became a certified pilot one day before my 41st birthday.  
• 2002:  A third short story was published in “Magical Souvenirs:  True Spiritual Adventures From Around the World.”
• 2003:  Became a certified commercial pilot.
• 2005:  Moved to Ohio to begin instrument flight training in my quest to become the first deaf pilot to successfully complete it.
• 2006:  Found another literary agent through a referral from a local woman who heard me at a speaking engagement only to have that agent turn me down for representation.  Made aviation history by becoming the first deaf instrument rated pilot, garnering media attention from faraway places like France and Ireland.   Started the Adversity University blog to publish my writings on the Internet.
• 2007:  Managed to raise $8,000 for “Flight to Hartford” where I helped make a young disabled man’s dream of flight come true by flying him in a small plane to a spiritual convention in Hartford, Conn (dubbed “Flight to Hartford.”). 

Can you see how God has been preparing me for something bigger and better down the road?  Do you see a divine purpose emerging and how things worked out even when I ran out of money, lost confidence in my future and/or got fearful on the way?    

Food for thought:  What are some of the major achievements you accomplished over the years and where do you think you’re heading this year?    

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