| 04 January 2012
As I stood out on the balcony overlooking my small village here in Germany, I began to think back over the past year of my life.
All of the things that happened to me that were both good and bad, successes and failures, people I met, even my growth as a young man, all ran across my mind.
The world was about to celebrate the beginning of a new year and my time zone was next in line for the clock striking midnight. As I watched all the fireworks fill the sky, my heart became somewhat heavy. Usually New Years Eve is a time you spend with family and friends. But this New Years Eve, I was all alone. Everyone always asks me what’s the toughest part about playing overseas. Well, this is it: being so far away from those I love the most, especially for holidays. My family can’t always be here with me, but there was one person who stuck closer to me than anyone else in this year.
So in reverence, I bowed my head to heaven and thanked God for blessing me to make it through another year.
As the world was transitioning from one year to the next, I couldn’t help but ponder the thought of what the New Year would bring into my life. For the past few weeks, people all over the world have been planning out their resolutions for 2012. It happens every year around this time. “Change” seems to be the big theme for the beginning of every year. When I posted “Happy New Year from Germany” on my Facebook page, someone commented with the question, “What’s 2012 like?”
I thought about it for a moment and responded like this, “2012…is what you make it.” What I meant by that is this: we seem to think that with a new year automatically comes a new attitude, a new desire, a new mindset, a new person. The truth of the matter is 2012 will be just like 2011 unless you decide to make the necessary changes to move forward. I have such high hopes for this year. Constantly pressing for more is my mindset. I won’t just settle for what I’ve always had, but must dig in deep and take hold of more.
But like the saying goes “If you want something you've never had before, you must be willing to do something you've never done before.”
So instead of this being just another year, I want it to be a new year full of new adventures, trials, accomplishments, failures (have to take the good with the bad), successes, and blessings. My personal mission statement for my life is simply this: to positively impact as many lives as possible. In other words, I just want to be a blessing to people. I pray that this is the year where I can see that really comes to pass. I don’t know what the future holds but I know who holds the future.
So, here is to 2012.
May it be your best year yet!
God bless.
Previous "Young At Heart" Columns:
Josh Young is professional basketball player for Walter Tigers Tubingen in Germany’s Beko BBL. A graduate of Drake University, Young is in his second season playing overseas after spending last year with Bayer Leverkusen Giants in Germany's Pro B division. His column "Young At Heart" column runs regularly on Beyond and the Beat. You can also follow Josh Young on Twitter at @ForeverJAYoung.
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