Dear GET family.
Today we are facing the last day of the year. Looking back, 2021 was another busy & challenging year for all of us.
It’s time to say goodbye and hello to the new year 2022.
TS Eliot wrote, “What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”
This reflection is not only about world events, but our own stories are also implanted in the world we live in. And this principle is true for us, these people who want to make a positive difference today.
As a Martial Arts TKD master, one of the fundamental life skills we teach to our students is; NEVER GIVE UP principle. We teach them how to overcome the pressure situations and teach them how to recover and continue without quitting even when they fail. We emphasize all the time, “YES I CAN! & YES YOU CAN!”.
But this morning, while I was finishing my last laps around the lake, I realized that there are things that I must give up and let go from my life before I receive the new year.
I must give up… Lots of stuff accumulated in my garage over time, regrets, resentment toward someone, worry, trying to live up to people’s expectations, being overly self-critical, trying hard to avoid mistakes, trying to be perfect, and trying too hard about everything.
Giving up and letting go of this kind of thing can be an act of great power.
When we ‘give up’, the “emptiness” that we feel is not the end, but a new beginning of new “filling”.
That new filling could be so much better than what we gave up.
Don’t focus on what you gave up. Instead, be excited about what you are going to fill up that empty spot.
Do not forget that we are able to give up because God’s love and grace are abundant and we have the choice to choose.
It’s not how you started that matters but how you finish.
I am praying that you have a truly remarkable and blissful year ahead! Happy new year to you and your family!
God bless,
Master Um
