Three Guesses Why We Ask, "Where'd The Time Go?"

It's 2014. I mean, it's REALLY 2014! Where has the time gone? New Year's Day tends to always illicit the same response, though. Why is it that simply turning a calendar from December 31 to January 1 every year brings the same questions? I don't have any scientific answers from research for that question. I'll offer the following opinions, though.

I think perhaps the obvious reason is during this time of year we have been trained to be more reflective. We reflect on what we wanted to accomplish in the past year. We reflect on whether we feel we succeeded at those goals. This is not a bad thing, by any means. We should take time occasionally to evaluate ourselves and what we've accomplished and the improvements we might need to make.

Did you make any New Year's Resolutions in 2013? If you did, how successful were you? I've heard this week only 8% of those who make New Year's Resolutions actually keep them. Are you in the Top Eight? Did you  make any resolutions for 2014? How do you intend to make sure you end 2014 in the Top Eight? Will you be a part of an accountability group? Will you have the will-power to do it alone?

Another reason we perhaps tend to be more reflective is the media. New Year's Day was Wednesday. It seems as soon as Christmas is over, the newspapers are running feature articles on the events of the year. They remind us of the big news stories of the past year. They remind us of the notable deaths - and this year in England, the notable births. We are bombarded with reminders of sports stories, political scandals, and crime scenes of the past year. It's no wonder we are asking where did the past year go!

I think perhaps the most common reason we ask ourselves the question each January 1 is ~ drum roll, please ~ are you ready for it? Because grandma and grandpa did! We probably have inherited the dialogue because it was what was always talked about. We learn from our surroundings. We learn from our environment long before we enter a school room. That's not to say these are the best teachers, but they do influence us ~ heavily.

That could open a pandora's box of topics in and of itself, but suffice it to say, much of our traditions and conversations that tend to be based on traditions are most likely learned early on in life - at home. What a challenge about our spiritual heritage. Oh wait, that's another topic, albeit a good one to think about. Maybe that will appear in a later blog post.

Until then, Happy New Year - and Happy Reflecting!