Dear Joe,
Well, it’s been another year. Fasten your seatbelt and hold on tight, because you’re in for a twelve-month rollercoaster.
A lot of crazy events are going to happen in 2016. The things you’ve been predicting for years are going to start to come true, in ways that are going to surprise you. Don’t worry too much about the world falling apart, though. You’re on the right course, so keep working on your personal preparedness and self-reliance, and things will work out all right.
A lot of people are going to be dismayed with the major world events this year. Don’t be one of them. There’s a temptation to listen to the pessimists, to everyone shouting that the world is coming to an end. On a long enough timeline, they’re usually right, but the timing and order of events still matters. So don’t be dismayed. The world will still be here at the end of 2016.
Enough about current events; let’s talk about yourself. You’ve set some fantastic resolutions for 2016, and you’re going to actually achieve some of them. No, I’m not going to tell you which ones. I will say, though, that the biggest changes to your life this year will come as a result of pursuing them. Take courage and pursue them with enthusiasm.
If there is one piece of advice that I could give you, it is this: don’t be an obstacle to the blessings you hope to receive. If we could see ourselves from a higher perspective, we would realize that there are floods of blessings ready to be poured upon us, except for the obstacles that we throw up to stop them. Take care not to become your own greatest obstacle. Be good to yourself. Don’t beat yourself up for past mistakes, but see each day as an opportunity to become a better man.
Keep up your journal writing. That’s important. Also take time to review your journal. There are important things you wrote down in there that you shouldn’t soon forget.
You will experience many triumphs as well as setbacks. Don’t let the setbacks become permanent. You have a lot more control over the things in your life than you realize. Don’t be dismayed by the chaos in the world, because at the end of the day, the things that happen in far-off places don’t impact you nearly as much as your own day-to-day choices.
You’re going to make some really stupid publishing decisions, and if you don’t correct them quickly, it’s going to bite you hard. Gather as much data as you can, and update your charts and tables as often as new data comes in. Only trust your gut after you’ve thoroughly studied the data.
You’re on the right path. Just keep following it. If you stop midway and don’t follow it to the end, it makes no difference whether it’s right or wrong. Don’t quit.
That pretty much does it for this year. Hold on tight, and I’ll see you on the other side.
Joe
