This time of year it is customary to think about how to become better than we already are. Why would we want to become better? Honestly, in this world where bad often seems good and good is often talked about as bad it is ironic that we still adhere to a tradition where we focus on becoming better than we are. The very idea of becoming better suggests that this life is full of purpose. That we are supposed to live a specific mission that only we can live; that we are here for a reason.
Most people, especially in their youth, have a feeling that they are important. They sense that they are supposed to become great at something. They look to the future with hope and passion. Young people live for dreams and follow their passions.
Then, as life goes on, many adults stop following their dreams. They start believing that the “reality” of this life is that each day is pretty much the same and that there is really no way to track one's progress, if there is any. In short, it doesn't really matter what one person does on one day. Life doesn't really have much point. Some people call this living “real life,” but as we look at the whole of life it seems that this view of living is actually the pretend part of life.