What a past year.

byKeithJames

373 followers

8 years ago

We always begin a year with great aspirations on what we want to accomplish and set out to do it with a full head of steam. As the year goes by we slowly lose track of our New Years resolutions due to work, family, work, family and work and family!! I started my resolutions for 2016 with a Bang and it ended up with a fizzle...but I will not give up and will continue to strive for my dreams. We all have goals in life and how to accomplish those goals and make them a reality is our dream manifested into life.

Major events in our life always have a way of sidetracking us and taking us off of our path of goals we set. Moving, birth, death, job change, and a variety of other major life events causes more stress and creates challenges we have to deal with to overcome, and get back to a sense of normality in our lives. The loss of my youngest brother in August of 2015 resonated with me all through 2016. My brother Robert was only 51 years old and was killed by a stupid driver who was mentally unfit to drive only 2 blocks from his home.

In my WA profile I talk about working as a salary-man in Japan for the last 5 years in a Japanese company teaching Business English. I was the only full-time foreigner who worked my butt off and did the work of 3 people in my job. Then in March of this year the President tells me according to Japanese law you must retire at age 60!! Well the idiot forgot that I turned 61 and that our company had no policy on this since in Japan you cannot collect pension until you are 65 so companies don't really enforce this. The President just wanted to find a way to get me out because he didn't want to pay my salary, that was not enough for the work I was doing in the first place. They hired a replacement who right before he signed, switched his salary to $1,000 less than offered right before he signed, which he had to sign since they were going to sponsor his VISA. The guy didn't last 6 months!! But my beloved Step-mom NaniMoms told me when one door closes, other doors will open up! It sure did when I was illegally forced out of this company, I immediately applied at 3 other companies to teach and I was immediately hired by all 3 on the spot!

Just Last month my beloved Step-mother died and it was a very sad loss because she was my inspiration when it came to living and enjoying life! I will miss NaniMom from Hawaii! These major events take away your focus if you don't stay on track, which I didn't unfortunately.

It is now a New Year and I have the same Resolutions to achieve again but with more focus and drive. I have learned a lot this past year and it is amazing that I am still learning, and becoming a student at many things, when I am a teacher at my occupation!

Life gives us opportunities and I encourage you to take advantage of them all. Don't waste away any chances you may have, because time is a precious commodity and you can never buy the time back that you have lost.