Good grief, it’s 2010!  No, no, let me try that again.  Good riddance 09!

But wait, we shouldn’t be too quick to kiss it goodbye.  If we don’t learn from it, its unlearned lessons will be back.  And then George Bernard Shaw will be right in saying that ‘We learn from history that we learn nothing from history.’

So, play it safe.  Look back, but look wisely. Hindsight is useless at changing history, but it can be used to help you create a better future.

Use hindsight to see how life happens to you, how your life tends to unfold.  This understanding can help you to create a better future.  But you must act on this understanding, because it is only through doing, through action, that you gain experience.

And experience is hindsight with sufficient bite to influence the future.

The catch in 'expectation'

For many of us 2009 had so much bite that we expect 2010 to be better.

Ah, but there’s a catch to the idea of ‘to expect’.  The word ‘expectation’ has two meanings:  likely-to-happen and ought-to-happen.

The year 2010 ought to be better if only because 2009 was so horrendous, but it is equally likely to be worse.  The problem is that for many of us, likely-to-happen often outweighs ought-to-happen.  In other words, you think 2010 ought to be better, but you believe that worse is more likely.

This can cause a vicious cycle.  Your expectation of ‘likely’ over ‘ought’ determines how you will behave.  Your actions increase the chances of ‘likely’ and when ‘likely’ does occur, it reinforces your belief and attitude that likely-to-happen trumps ought-to-happen.

Your approach to the great unwrapping

Most likely, you ought to have received a few gifts to unwrap recently.  If so, how did you react, with glee or with gravitas?

How you reacted points to how you are likely to react to the surprises awaiting you in this new year.

A few of us are such control freaks that we fixate on the one outcome we want, the must-have gift, to the extent that we become visibly angry if we don’t have our way.

Some of us are attached to the outcome we want and find it difficult to hide our disappointment.  Others are willing to be open to outcome and receive graciously whatever is given.

A number of us have become so detached from outcome that we live with passive acceptance and fateful resignation of whatever happens.

Only a few of us are in open anticipation of outcome, visibly excited to engage with any surprise the universe may offer.

So, how did you approach the great unwrapping?

Those of you who unwrapped slowly and lazily, you may skip this section.  The rest of you, pay attention.  It is time to practice being lazy.

Working hard gets you two things – more work and tired.  What does lazy get you?  New ways of doing things simpler and faster, and new products.  Who invented power steering?  A lazy person, or course!   In other words, lazy people create efficiencies and stimulate inventions.

How do we get the benefits of lazy all year round?  Practice!  Practice makes perfect.

Now, maybe Dagwood Bumstead was right when he said that ‘you can't teach people to be lazy - either they have it, or they don't.’  But you won’t know unless you test yourself.

Here’s how it’s done.  Rest before you get tired.

Simple, isn’t it?  Now practice.  We need many more efficiencies and inventions this year.