2014 is drawing to a close. As the year closes, I have had time to reflect and consider the year that it has been. It would be fair to say that I have finished the year feeling my content than I have ever been in my life.
Of course, writing on this blog is a big part of that. Starting on Boxing Day and ending on New Years Eve I will be re-blogging the top 5 posts on this blog this year as well as re-posting them on social media.
Keep an eye out and, as always, feedback is welcome.
It would be fair to say that I have never been happier to get to the end of the year and the Christmas break than I have been this year. Frankly, last week I was, to put it colloquially, running on fumes and a break is just what I needed.
In the past I have eschewed the need to have a holiday: I was a workaholic and found holidays to be an imposition rather than a comfort. Of course my workaholic ways took me down a very negative path that I am still recovering from so the folly of not taking holidays is abundantly clear.
Equally, even in my new roll I have had difficulty fully switching off on recent holidays. Between wanting to remain fully informed and a keenness to impress in my new, post breakdown, roll I have stayed connected and, generally, have done work whilst on my break.
It has taken me to get to where I was last week, exhausted, testy and focused only on finishing the week, to make me realise that this year, more than ever, I need to have a real holiday.
So this holiday I am going to try to disconnect from work and rest my brain. Of course, I have thought about a strategy for doing this (come on readers: you knew there would be a strategy):
1. I am not taking my computer away with me.
2. I have turned off the notifications on my emails on my smart devices.
3. My out of office message does not direct one to my mobile number.
4. I am actually doing to read books and newspapers in paper form rather than on my smart devices.
5. My smart devices will be coming away with me but will remain in our holiday unit at all times. They will not be going to the beach, out for walks or to the surf club as in previous years.
Time to start making the most of my holidays. Weird to be making my first attempt at this after 20 years in the work force but no doubt worth it.
If you are on holidays, I hope you get the chance to make the most of them! I know I will definitely be trying to!
As a long time Canberra Raiders fan, I have lamented much of the year the poor behaviour of some the Raiders players. Blake Ferguson’s conduct reached its lowest ebb when he was arrested and charged with indecent assault. I wrote a blog post that day that outlined what legal machinations would happy following his being charged and it was the most read blog of the year on this site.
Here is the link to that post: https://shumpty77.com/2013/06/18/what-next-in-the-blake-ferguson-saga-an-explanation-of-the-legal-steps/
As you will be aware, Mr Ferguson has been found guilty of the offence he was charged with and will be sentenced in February 2014.
In June, in the midst of a difficult period mentally I read an article about Denis Wright, his journery and his lessons about life. I reproduced those lessons on the blog, as well as printing them out and sticking them on my desk to read every day, and that post was the second most popular post on the blog this year.
If you do nothing else in the shadows of the Christmas break, then please read the lessons from Denis Wright: you will be happy you did. A link to my blog is here: https://shumpty77.com/2013/06/28/life-lessons-from-denis-wright/
Shane Watson aside there have been few Australian cricketers this year who have been more maligned than off spinner Nathan Lyon. I have become a massive fan of Lyon and took up his cause in the face of the selectors failing to support him, the press lambasting and those on social media baying for his blood. One of the biggest statements about Lyon’s form was that he regularly failed in the final innings of games.
My blog dispelling that fallacy was the third most read post on the blog this year and the link to it is here: https://shumpty77.com/2013/06/13/the-nathan-lyon-conundrum-the-second-inning-fallacy/
I have posted a lot of poetry this year, principally related to positivity in the face of adversity and the mental approach to winning.
The fourth most popular post on the blog this year was one such poem: The Victor by C W Longenecker.
Here is a link to this post: https://shumpty77.com/2013/08/08/poetry-the-victor-by-c-w-longenecker/
Shumpty Speaks 