So we welcome 2014.
My first thought is to look backwards - 100 years in fact. Did those who welcomed in 1914 have any idea what was about to be unleashed upon the world? Did they thing that something that happened in Sarajevo would embroil the world in a four-year war? I doubt it.
Yes at the start of 2014, we have escalating conflict in so many part of the world. Whether it be Africa, Asia or Indo-china, there are tensions that could easily and quickly spill over into full out war. In the meantime, a small proportion of the world is getting richer and a large proportion is getting poorer. Millions are obese - yet millions go hungry. We are killing our wildlife and warming our planet. It is not a good scenario.
Anything I decide about my life sounds somehow trivial after that. I do not have a raft of resolutions. The main one is to be more productive with my life and be much more disciplined with my time. Less of letting time slip by and more filing time with useful and enjoyable things. No major change, just minor tweaks. Live every day rather than live one day many times.
And remember - 'As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are; otherwise you may miss most of your life'.