New Years resolutions are not for me. Never had one and likely never will. Every day is a new day. Every hour sings a new song. Every moment is entirely special and paradoxically nothing in particular.

But I feel it’s good to reflect on the past year and acknowledge any improvements we can make. There are always a few of those.

I believe our spirituality to be the ascendent force in our lives. It diffuses through all that we do. But importantly the spirituality that we immerse ourselves in should be a lighthearted gaiety that rarely becomes arduous or serious or adopts severity. This is often in contrast to how it is sold to us through religions or some stated important philosophy.

The Dalai Lama makes spirituality fun. I like that.

I was listening to the comedian Ricky Gervais the other day. He reminded me of Stuart Wilde – both controversial scamps using poignant humour to push peoples buttons. Such humour challenges us to think differently about our lives and the world. It shows us that hubris and self-importance can be our undoing.

We all get knocked about when going through difficult times. As such it’s inevitable seriousness will stir. That’s okay as we need it for grounding and consolidation but we shouldn’t let it linger and push aside lightheartedness.

Our insouciance is vital for wellbeing and that means from time to time we need to check that we are not taking ourselves too seriously.

This is at the core of Gervais’ humour. Stuart had a lecture along the same lines which was released as an audio titled: Life Don’t Take it Personally. At the time Stuart said it was a vital truism that stood out in all his teachings.

The world is sorely troubled – just look at the people running the show. So I am going to pronounce (for myself anyway) that 2019 be the year of Lighthearted Gaiety.

Godspeed on your journey through 2019.