Ringing in the New Year

Another year has come and gone. I like to take this time to reflect upon the journey that I embarked on and use this time to calibrate my life. I guess my introspective thoughts never cease to exist but they reach a peak during the month of Ramadan and continue as we bid farewell to another year. I think about whether or not I am in a better place now than I was a year ago. I would certainly like to think so but how do I really know? The idea is that I leave this earth giving a little more than I have taken. So I spend times like these auditing myself, looking under the hood and picking apart every detail. Why wait until someone else asks the pressing questions regarding my values, beliefs, and philosophy only to realize that I don't know? After-all professional athletes don't become all-stars during the games they partake in. Their journey begins in the weight room, during scrimmages, reviewing the playbook, and dieting so that they may put their skills on display for all to see. So why would I be any different? So the question is then do I live my life like the sheltered kid who plays ball in front of his parents home in the cul de sac shielded from the harsh realities this world or do I step up to the plate and play in the big leagues. I personally chose to play in the big leagues thus I check under the hood more frequently than others I know. Tinkering. Tweaking. Growing. It remains to be seen if I am good enough, but only time will tell. So in the mean time I will continue to learn and grow with the hope that I may inspire others in some way. I have often been asked, "Kaysar, the way they depicted you on television... Is that how you really are or was that concocted for the sake of ratings?" I didn't have a straight answer to that question until now. The answer is No. Just as long as I am living and breathing I will also be growing. So there is in fact more to me and thus the best has yet to come...