Should Auld Acquaintance Be Forgot?
Happy New Year!
Should Old Acquaintance Be Forgot? Ok, it’s a rhetorical question asking if old times should be forgotten and more generally a ‘call-to-remember’ long standing relationships. As a Head-Hunter, old acquaintances and long-standing relationships are the back bone to my USPs, and my life. But what of the past?
Christmas and New Year is a great time of reflection, looking back on the past year – The highs, the lows. The wins, the challenges. The lessons learned and how life has moved on & developed. But should any of it be forgotten?
Two great quotes:
“Live like you will die tomorrow; Learn like you will live forever” – Mahatma Gandhi
“I’ve come to believe that all my past failure and frustration were actually laying the foundation for the understandings that have created the new level of living I now enjoy.” – Tony Robbins
Good or bad, I’m an optimist, an opportunity engineer and a proponent of positivity. Carpe Diem, #JDFI and grabbing (then maximising) opportunities. I largely believe that regret is a wasted emotion and I despise negativity. “Whether you believe you can do something, or believe you can’t; You’re right” — another of Tony Robbins’ mantras from his book, Unlimited Power.
Releasing the past
Everything I know has come from what happened in my life, right up until this moment – and everything I will do in the future will be based on past experience and knowledge – so to forget it is irrational. But we need to take the knowledge, the lessons, the experiences, the results….. then positively release the past and turn to focussing on, planning for and expelling our energy on the future and what it can bring.
We stood and launched Chinese Lanterns (non-metal-wire variants!), to welcome in 2016. It was a highly symbolic activity. Having spent a lot of this festive season reflecting on the past 12 months (and the past few years), and more importantly, in planning/assessing the various options that will start 2016 for me – seeing a large paper balloon literally filled with hot air tugging at my hands, willing to be released before finally lifting into the calm night sky was highly emotive and immensely motivating.
As it soared above our neighbour’s houses, over Wilmslow town centre, then high above the Cheshire countryside disappearing onwards and upwards – it’s flame was still visible for several minutes, highlighting it’s trajectory, taking 2015 higher and higher, further and further away; leaving me with the knowledge gained from the year but filled with energy and excitement for the new year just starting.
Embracing the future
“If you can’t you must, if you must you can”
These next few days have the potential to be the most powerful of the year. The fresh start, the ability to set (additional) objectives and the latent energy built up over the festive season, all provide the ability to springboard into the new year. But to coyne yet another Tony Robbins quote “The path to success is to take massive, determined action”. Having left the past, but retained the knowledge gained we can plot the course into the new year without that ballast that we carried at the end of the last.
More than ever in 2016, the new year holds great challenge and great opportunity for me. A
still fairly young business operating in a growth market, family, daughter getting older, ambitious charity plans and a host of self-set personal challenges to tackle, it is an exciting place to be.
Last Verse
Auld Lang Syne finishes with “And there’s a hand my trusty friend! And give us a hand o’ thine!….”. It is a great reminder that people are everything. Yes, they are the basis of my profession, but more importantly they are the backbone to life. Family, friends, partners but also the many many people who made 2015 such a year through their support, advice, assistance, comfort and entertainment. I’m honoured to have you in my life and call you friends. Let’s kick arse in 2016.
Live life fully while you’re here. Experience everything. Take care of yourself and your friends. Have fun, be crazy, be weird. Go out and screw up! You’re going to anyway, so you might as well enjoy the process. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes: find the cause of your problem and eliminate it. Don’t try to be perfect; just be an excellent example of being human. – Tony Robbins
garychaplin.com 
Great Blog Gary, great view point and a fantastic attitude.
Love this blog Gary, brilliant message and way of looking at things. Great image Lantern image too.
Wishing you every success in the coming year
Great Blog and attitude to take into the new year.
Well done on 2015 and good luck for 2016!
You’ve caputered my exact thoughts on the New Year. Well done on a great blog.
Great attitude Gary, easy to see why you succeed.
Have a prosperous 2016
Really nice read on a New Years morning. I’ve followed your story over the past couple of years and you stand as an inspiration to everyone over your positive attitude and the way in which you have truly bounced back from adversity. Attitude really is everything.
Well done Gary on this blog and in life.
Rachel
Great Blog Gary. Love the image of the old year floating away
Best wishes for 2016!
Good blog Gary – perhaps your attitude is contagious in the recruitment industry – I was called by a consultant at 11am today – in the middle of doing a fry-up for a house full of hung-over teenagers.
Reblogged this on American Esquire and commented:
Glad I found Gary Chaplin…