We wish you, your family and friends the very best in 2019.
Each year is a new milestone in your life. Indeed, the New Year’s eve is as much a day of celebrations as is a day of reflections. You reflect on the reasons you did not get what you wanted out of 2018, and the party is cheering for the effort you made to be where you are today. Here are a few suggestions to chew on, and it is worth your while to glance at it. 
If I was to ask you on 12/31/2019, how was your 2018?
You may respond in one of the following ways;
Nothing Changed,
Things have gotten worse
Celebrating the achievements
Lost or gained weight
Relationship entanglements and disentanglements
Financial soundness or mess
Bonded well with family and friends
Another thing
Let’s focus on two extremes; things that got worse and things that are worth celebrating. The question is, did you get what you want? Did you work for getting what you got?
Nothing happens by itself; things happen because someone causes them or makes them happen. Did you let others drive your life or did you drive it yourselves? You cannot go on vacation unless your dream about it, think about it and plan on it. You cannot buy anything unless you start with a want. Unlike the planets, stars and many other things in the universe which are programmed to function precisely, humans were not put on auto-pilot, they were given a free will to chart their course.
God does not do anything for you or me. He cannot do good things for you and not for others, God has created everything in balance, and has given us the free will to restore the balance if we lose it. The responsiblity is entirely ours how we want our lives to be. We have to make an effort.
John was drowning in floods, and he refuses to go with firefighters and the rescuers. The water keeps rising, and he climbs up on the tree, water reaches up to his neck, he goes further up to the very top of the tree. A helicopter throws him a rope to catch. He screams I don’t need help from humans; God will help me, I am an excellent pious man who gave much charity. Finally, he drowns and appears in front of God and challenges God for not helping. God booms back, John, I sent you the helicopter, what else did you want me to do?
God has laid everything out for you to pursue your happiness and peace; it is up to you to get it. Here is a simple way of getting what you want! The first thing is to know what you want.
Buy a dozen 5×3 Cards or fold three regular blank white papers and cut them out into 12 pieces. Write the following down on top of each piece and place them in your pocket or purse. Here are your 12 or more cards to jot down the points as to what you want out of each item of life.
Family
Friends
Profession
Income
Health
Vacation
Volunteerism
Spirituality
Retirement
Self-improvement
A new image
Your special item
As you start driving, making coffee, watching TV or whatever you are doing, take one piece at a time and start thinking about it, until you have clarity of what you want, don’t stop believing. Pull the car over or go to a coffee shop and sit down and write your thoughts in bullets. Did you know you can daydream while taking a shower? Can you think better sitting on the crown?
You know it all, why should you write down?
If you are a religious person, it would be easy for you to understand. Remember, God tells you to ask him? Don’t you think the creator does not know what you want? Of course, he does, but he wants you to remove the fog to your jumbled up thoughts and bring clarity to what you want. That clarity takes out the confusion and makes your focus on a few things when you are focused; you can commit to working towards achieving them. Don’t forget the rope from the helicopter.
At the end of the day or two, take a picture of each card/paper and save it on your cell phone. One of the evenings, you may want to sit down for a few hours and put it all together. This would be your guideline to go by, and this would be your plan for 2019. The more you stare at it, the more it becomes a part of you.
12/31/2019
If you were to receive my note on 12/31/19, and without any doubt, you will. If you’ve received this note, you will get that one too unless you block me. You can proudly say that your life was as planned on 1/1/2019. Why do I do this? It is merely because my mission in life is to build cohesive workplaces, communities and nations and open people’s hearts minds and souls to fellow beings. Everyone has a purpose in life, find yours now. Mine is to make life meaningful to as many people as I can.
I am pleased to share what we do at the Center for Pluralism.
Center for Pluralism is a non-profit organization founded in 1996 (as Foundation for Pluralism) based on a simple principle; the more we know about each other, fewer the misunderstandings would be.
CFP is committed to vigorously promoting and advancing pluralism in the realm of religion, politics, social and cultural aspects of life. We have published over 3600 articles on promoting harmony and reconciliation, appeared in over 300 national TV shows and 200 Radio talk shows. We have also produced 780 hours of talk on the wisdom of religions, all the beautiful faiths.
CFP will continue to focus its energies on ensuring a safe and secure America for all, where no one has to worry about his race, faith, ethnicity or other God-given uniqueness and live her life without apprehensions.
Our programs are designed to prevent chaos and maintain coherence and stability with the ongoing changes. We need to prepare the next generation to cope with these changes and minimize potential conflicts with ease. No American needs to worry about losing his or her way of life. As Americans, we uphold, protect, defend and celebrate the values enshrined in our Constitution.
The Center for Pluralism has established over 20 annual programs to bring Americans together on religious, social, political and cultural aspects of life. The more we know each other, the fewer conflicts we would have. Please review our programs and except the Religious workshops and Unity Day all other events can be run as your sponsorship for $5,000/year, but you can contribute any sum that is in your budget. Please review them in this mini-Brochure at – https://centerforpluralism.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/4.-CPF-Programs-4-Pages.pdf
CFP will be an antidote to Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, Racism, Homophobia, Hindu phobia, Xenophobia, Misogyny, and other phobias. Through research and activism, we are establishing a respectful space for policymakers, interfaith groups, both Republicans and Democrats and of course the media and you!
The Center for Pluralism will become the energy to give a solid, cohesive social structure to our nation. By the year 2025, there will not be an office, school, playground, college, restaurant, theater, train, bus or a workplace where people of different faiths, races, ethnicities, and national origins do not work, interact, play, live and marry together. This beautiful blending is bound to create conflicts in airports, public spaces, boardrooms, and in bedrooms as well as places of worship, workplaces, politics, eateries, and schools.
We have a responsibility to shape the future of our society so our kids, grandkids and us can retire in peace and live without apprehensions.
If your idea of America is reflected in our work, and we hope that your vision for America resonates with what we are doing. If you feel, this is what you always wanted America to be, and I welcome you to join the Center for Pluralism as a volunteer, donor (big or small), inspirer, encourager, and a writer with all your heart mind and soul. Whatever we do, we do it wholeheartedly.
What we have accomplished – https://centerforpluralism.com/mission-accomplished-at-the-center-for-pluralism/
If you like our work, please donate today – https://centerforpluralism.com/donate/
Happy New Year ya’ll. God bless you, and God bless America.
Thank you.
Dr. Mike Ghouse is a public speaker, author, interfaith wedding officiant, executive director of the Center for Pluralism in Washington, DC. He is committed to building cohesive societies and offers pluralistic solutions on issues of the day. More at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikeghouse/