Top 8 Predictions for 2015

The "changing times" are an ongoing theme of the 1910s/1920s period drama series "Downton Abby."  Our current "changing times" are so rapid that making wild predictions for each forthcoming year almost seems plausible.  Who is to say that my farcical 2015 predictions couldn't come true?  Truth is, after all, stranger than fiction.  Here are my 8 predictions for 2015:


1.  Taylor Swift will not only pay for her fan's student loans, but also our government's debt.

2.  The wealthiest 1% will own more than half of the world's wealth.....it will also own the manuscript for the new Harry Potter book that hasn't been released yet.

3.  New York urbanists will continue to pay $9 for a cup of bone broth at Brodo (a take-away window.)  Health conscious consumers will eventually pay $9 for a cup of Campbell's chicken noodle soup at the competing business venture located next door.

4.  In order to save their careers, American comedians will tweak their stand-up set and tweets to appear more politically correct.

5.  Now that Sam Smith is dating someone and is no longer consumed by unrequited love, former fans that once identified with Smith will dismiss him and will eagerly await for Adele's latest album.

6.  As a diary of a current prisoner at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is published for the first time, Charles Manson will also decide to release a memoir of his own.  It will pinpoint serial killings, his songwriting craft and love at 80 years old.

7.  Hayo Miyazaki, mastermind of Spirited Away and My Neighbor Totoro, will be forced out of retirement as soon as the Sponge Bob Movie is released in theaters.

8.  Taxpayers will not only have to address their health insurance status on their returns, but also their sexual orientation, citizen status and which team they are rooting for at the Superbowl.


What are some of your wildest predictions for 2015?

How To Keep Your New Year's Resolutions

It's that time again.  You've been creating New Year's Resolutions.  You've declared that you are going to hit the gym and eat right this year.  Or perhaps you are finally going to take the GRE, change your career path or look for love.  Instead of moving forward each year insisting that "this year is going to be better," why don't you reflect on the past and consider what resolutions you have succeeded in and why.

How many times in the past did you actually complete a resolution?  What was it?  Was it realistic or measurable?  Did it improve your quality of life or make you a better person?

Perhaps you needed an incentive for sticking to your plan.  For example, if you were diagnosed with diabetes in the past year, you now possess a very strong reason to follow dietary restrictions.  If you are truly serious about developing healthy habits, you may need to "rewire your brain."

According to Psychology Today:

"Making resolutions work involves changing behaviors-and in order to change a behavior, you have to change your thinking (or "rewire" your brain.)  Brain scientists such as Antonio Damasio, Joseph LeDoux, and psychotherapist Stephen Hayes have discovered, through the use of MRIs, that habitual behavior is created by thinking patterns that create neural pathways and memories, which become the default basis for your behavior when you're faced with a choice or decision.  Trying to change that default thinking by "not trying to do it," in effect just strengthens it.  Change requires creating new neural pathways from new thinking."  

- Why People Can't Keep New Year's Resolutions by Ray Williams 

Last year, one of my many New Year's Resolutions was to start a blog.  I realize that this goal makes me sound like a simpleton.  By blogging, I'm not necessarily fighting habits or addictions that are extremely destructive.  I'm not entirely sure if I've had to "rewire my brain."  And who is to say that blogging will necessarily make me a better person.

Developing a blog in and of itself is an effortless task, until you decide how ambitious you are.  I don't expect to ever make money from my blog, however, I did have the intention of treating this blog as a passion project.

I wanted to make sure my resolution was measurable, therefore I decided that I would post 1-3 times a week unless I was on vacation or there was a zombie apocalypse of sorts.  So far I have succeed in accomplishing this relatively small goal.

I chose to blog primarily for myself. It is such a creative release to jot down the thoughts that constantly pollute my head.  And of course, I selfishly hope my readers can find some value in a number of my posts.

Throughout the last few months, I have learned that sometimes smaller tasks (i.e. amateur blogs) can provide you with the confidence to tackle larger projects in your life.  Making room for smaller hobbies or objections has allowed me to obtain a realistic outlook on my schedule.  More importantly, it has brought me more personal fulfillment because I am not taking on more than what I can handle.

What is your passion project?  What are smaller tasks that have led you towards success or fulfillment in the past year?  Until you decide upon a slew of New Year Resolutions for 2015, look back at how you have succeeded with your aspirations in the past year.  Give yourself a pat on the back, and then take notes.