Closing out 2018

I've spent a good amount of time thinking about what I wanted to write about for this article. 2018 has been a crazy year for many of the people I've talked to. There's been ups and downs, highs and lows and more kicks in the teeth than any of us care to count. This year hasn't been easy. And as I sat thinking about all of my friends and family, and all of the stuff that's gone on a simple thought came to mind. I knew what I wanted for Christmas.

What I want isn't valuable; in fact, it has no value and yet it's the most priceless thing in the world. I want people to be better. For almost ten years, people have been going to see Marvel movies (we won't talk about the DCEU) because they want to see their favorite heroes doing hero things. They want to see Cap take out the bad guy, Iron Man outsmart his nemesis and Hulk SMASH. But there's a deeper lesson here.

What I want for Christmas is for people to be that. I want regular, ordinary people to do extraordinary things. Not for money or viral views, but because it can help someone else. No repayment necessary, and no thanks wanted. I want to see more someones become Cap for a person that can't do it themselves or isn't in a place to. I want to see more Iron Man's use their ingenuity to outwit a bad situation. I want to see more Hulk's smashing things that need it.

I want to see people live into what we all have the potential to be. We all have the ability to be better than we are. We're humans, and we're not perfect. We screw up a lot, and we tend to hurt people by nature. But what if we stopped doing that? What if we worked really, really hard to change our nature? What if we became more? Not for attention or praise, but simply because its good.

In 2019, I want to see people defeat their problems. I want to see them stand for what is right, regardless of the risk or the hopelessness of it. The world throws plenty of hard and bad things our way. I'm tired of seeing people buckle under the weight of it. I want to see people be strong, resilient, positive and impactful. I hope good things for everyone in 2019. We have the potential, now we just need to tap it.

We're closing the chapter on 2018, and 2019 can be awesome. I know what my goals are. What are yours? Who do you want to be?

Merry Christmas, everyone. Have a great holiday.