The weight of choice

Perhaps it's the overload of information on the web or the ease of communication. The upcoming generations' greatest challenge will be filtering the sheer mass of possibilities. Many will feel immobile, scared stiff of taking a step in the wrong direction, caught in a web of choices that each lead toward a promised prize.

I've had a number of conversations recently, with many who are unhappy with their choices in life. Wishing for greener pastures, assured that their life was the wrong one, their missed opportunities irrecoverably ruining their potential for something greater. What does one say? Left squirming in a precarious position a number of times, I now keep my mouth firmly shut.

Why?

Simple. Blame. There is an expiry date when children can blame their parents, when wives or husbands can point fingers at one another, when you can stomp and whine and generally be a pain in the ass to everyone around you.

The answer? Just try. Think. Plan. Attempt. The very worst you can do is fail, and so long as you did things in moderation, all that you've lost was a little bit of pride, time, and hopefully not too much money.

Wrap up

The end of the year can be a terrible time. Seeing family you wish to avoid, summing up your mishaps and mistakes, emptiness, loneliness, and the deflated void you're left with, come January 2nd.

2012 promises to be quite an interesting year. For some, they believe it'll be the end of the earth itself, for those in the east, it's the lucky Chinese year of the dragon, but for most, it's just one more year that we have to worry about work, money, relationships, and health.

This April- May Michael Apted's acclaimed Up series documentary will return with 56 Up. An intriguing glimpse of varied English individuals, their struggles and triumphs as they age every seven years. It's a slow, almost surreal memory of a world that's been muffled by twitter, tabloids, new gadgets, media, advertising, and facebook.

If you ever feel old, and wish you were a decade younger, appreciate this... the freedom most of us experienced is rapidly vanishing for the next generation, and should not be taken lightly. Even if you can't see the light at the end of the tunnel, nothing lasts forever... eventually your day in the sun will come.

What did Steve Jobs say? Stay hungry, stay foolish.