A Tough Year

​A few days ago I celebrated my 51st birthday, like always, a birthday gives you the opportunity to evaluate the year before and to begin with a clean slate.
 
Anyway, looking back at my 50th made me realize that last year was probably one of the toughest years. At this age, I thought that I was all set and was ready to enjoy the dividends... However, for some reason or another, issues kept turning up all year. Piece by piece, everything began to go wrong, and at 50, I was bitten and managed to get knocked out.

Though, a year later, thanks to the support of my wife, our kids and true-friends, we managed one more time, to build a momentum.
 
For all that, I do have a lesson to share:
 
First, when I felt everything crashing around me, I lost my motivation to keep moving, I lost my motivation to write, to teach; I lost my drive.  In my mind, I lost the authority to talk about resilience; I became a sad and disappointed individual.
It took almost a year for the storm to finally come to a halt, and to realize that my credo, my attitude towards failure, is what kept me going.
 
Today, after the turmoil, I believe that I become stronger and wiser… bolder and older :) I understand shit happens to everyone but only a few have the stamina to get up and stay operational. Like our daughter, Daniela, will say, “shit happens, just step over it”.
 
This past year, I learned to refocus and to restructure; I learned to believe and to distrust people. This year, I understood of how many friendships I have and how many I have managed to destroy, how few true friends I have and about the people that truly never cared about me.
 
After this year, at 51, I have decided to show again my badge: If I fail, I’ll try again, again and again knowing that it is not the end; knowing that what matters is how I’m going to finish; knowing that I am going to finish strong. I always stay true to myself and to my family!
 
Now, at 51, as an older man, I can't afford to forget again: Resilience is the ability to confront stressful, difficult and sometimes devastating situations by attacking the adversity head on! Resilience is to have the strength to pull oneself together, to overcome the unimaginable; to have the confidence, independence, honesty, flexibility and optimism.
 
Today, at 51, I am thankful for were I am, honest to myself!
 
Peace out!