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Welcome 2021

Years do not bring things by themselves. We make good and bad contributions to them. Whatever we plant, we reap at the end of the year.

We all hope to get rid of the Covid-19 scourge in 2021. All over the world, as people pray, experts are passionately working day and night to develop effective vaccines. I hope vaccines will be useful and humanity will get rid of this trouble. May God have mercy in the hereafter on those who died and heal the sick. Let him give a good life to the living.

My mom and dad used to say that if everyone kept the front of their house clean, the whole neighborhood would be in order. When I was a kid, I would sweep the front of the radio repair shop where I worked as an apprentice during the summer holidays. Other apprentices from different shops would do the same. But in the 70s, there was a magic word in our language called "progress." My childhood friends would want to take responsibility and duty for the development of the country. They would quarrel with each other on those subjects. Sometimes they would even get into fisted fights over how to keep the country moving forward. During the summer holidays, they neither worked as apprentices nor did the household chores they were responsible for. Most of them failed in the struggle to make ends meet. They could not make any slightest contribution to the development of the country.

Mevlana had said, "I was smart yesterday; I wanted to change the world. Today I am wiser; I am changing myself." I have taken this phrase as a guide for myself since childhood. When I say change, I mean improving myself. I followed the same understanding in my career, and now I am doing so in my retirement life. Everyone sweeps the front of their home and lives in their unique world. So do I.

As preparing for the new year, we all consider evaluating the past years and setting targets for the coming years. In this context, I am not interested in the state of the world and the country. I will talk about myself.

I will stop the academic deepening in measurement and evaluation, my doctorate branch, in the coming years. I want to be freer. Now I can use the knowledge and experience I have gained in formal education in non-formal education settings. What I have learned in academic settings so far is enough for me.

In 2020, I focused on reading and writing. I have been  increasing the quality of my blog posts step by step. My primary goal for the coming years is to improve and use my Turkish and English writing and reading skills.

My vision for 2021 and beyond:

  • by using and improving my Turkish and English reading and writing skills;
  • by continuing to learn software (.NET Core) and design (Adobe);
  • by reading, watching, listening, and appreciating works of art, especially literature, cinema, and classical music;
  • by focusing on personal development, psychology, sociology, and philosophy;
  • by writing blog posts and books; to live my life healthy and quality.

In line with this vision, I made a self-assessment table, and I score myself out of 100 every month in the areas I mentioned below. The expressions in parentheses are my target feelings and thoughts.

  • Mood (I feel happy and sufficient.)
  • Reading (I am reading.)
  • Writing (I am writing.)
  • Sports (I am walking.)
  • Personal Care (I take care of myself.)
  • Design (I'm learning Adobe.)
  • Software (I'm learning software.)
  • Google Play Books (I am preparing books for Google Play Books.)
  • Relationships (My relationships are delicate.)
  • Fresh air (I breathe fresh air.)
  • Disconnecting the Negativities (I leave the negativities alone.)
  • Meditation (I am practicing meditation.)
  • Music (I'm listening to music.)
  • Cinema, Theater, Film (I watch YouTube and Netflix.)
  • The Real Me (I'm after my true self.)
I wish you a prosperous, peaceful, healthy, quality year. Welcome, 2021
Image uploaded by S. Hermann & F. Richter to Pixabay

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