It is part of the soliloquy that Hamlet delivers beginning with the words "To be, or not to be".
In Star Trek they allude to the future being an undiscovered country, a place to which we can journey without expectation.
Of course, every man and his dog is today making resolutions for the year ahead hoping to take as much control of the future as possible.
Whether it’s about diet, health or new relationships I understand the desire to make the first step into a new year a positive one - life is all about attitude sometimes. If we find a positive note to help us move forward the journey sometimes becomes all the easier but then something might happen to knock us off course - we might not keep to the promise we made ourselves to try harder to exercise or give up smoking, or in my case fish fingers! (only joking - I will NEVER give up fish fingers).
We should also recall that there is actually much of life that is beyond our control, like a leaf caught in the wind we just get blown along.
Please remember that when things don't go according to plan or when you have that first stumble, don’t feel too bad - being human means that we are liable to get it wrong sometimes...
If we allow the negative thought of our perceived failure to take hold we are less likely to regain our forward momentum - I believe we should not define ourself by our failures.
The Japanese have a wonderful saying - fall down seven times, get up eight.
Having a positive attitude is the key - each journey begins with the first step, but the attitude we bring to that step and all that follow will be the force that determines its direction its joy its value.
As you might know, I'm already on bonus time having almost 'shuffled off this mortal coil' some five years ago.
I have to remind myself occasionally how even a really bad day of life is better than that "sleep of death" especially when I don't believe that sleep will offer what Shakespeare wrote: "To sleep, perchance to dream".
Are you fed up of the Hamlet yet?
So, my year ahead - a 30th wedding anniversary for Mrs B and myself, a first birthday for Polly - and I do have to say that becoming 'Camp-Pa' has really been a highlight of my whole life not just the past year.
There will be other days, good news and bad news will come my way I'm sure.
I have every intention of standing on a stage and dusting off my acting boots, I have every intention of enjoying a great holiday and of playing some golf.
I would like to spend time with those people who are important to me.
I would like to carry on dispensing wisdom as only I can and being a thoroughly miserable old bugger!
Having said all of that I know that the road ahead is not mapped out that easily, this journey will inevitably end (although Mrs B will not forgive me if I pop my clogs anytime soon).
My attitude will be as positive as possible and I will try and infect others with the attitude that a day of life should be treasured and used. None of us are promised tomorrow - there is no day but today!
There is paragraph I may well have quoted before but as you all prepare to journey to your own undiscovered countries in 2014, I give it to you all as a gift. Consider it, discard it, use it - no strings attached.
"I will leave this earth knowing that I did not do all I had to do, but I hope that whatever I leave behind will say that I cared: that it’s quality was not compromised, that I gave it my best and that occasionally my best was enough to give a bit of life the honour it was due".
Robert Sexton
It is my most fervent hope that all of you have a brilliant year...a year spent making memories and giving your life the honour it is due.
Live long and prosper.
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