Happy New Year to everyone! I wish you peace, success and happiness for this year and all years to follow. Have you noticed how people make a huge deal of New Year’s resolutions, changes and all the hoopla associated with it? But how many people actually look back at the “Old Year?” This is a great time to analyze our successes and failures (yes I just said the “F” word) and to learn from those. To plan 2014 without looking at 2013 would be a great loss of the chance for personal growth.
Try looking at what failed, figure out why and make notes. Do the same with your successes. Choose wisely on which failures you wish to retry and which successes you wish to continue. You can’t just keep piling on more and more goals without letting go of some previous ones. You need to make room for your new goals by cleaning house. If you don’t, your list of goals will become overwhelming and the “failures” will begin to pile up. This can result in anxiety and YOU begin to feel like a failure. The fact that you’re taking time to evaluate your life already means you are a success. Smile! You’re pretty awesome! Also keep your goals reasonable and attainable. “Nothing breeds success like success.” You can help your family and friends with their goals but don’t make them your goals…you have enough to work on.
Throughout the year, celebrate your victories (successes) with “mini-parties” and share those victories with family and friends. Celebrate your kid’s victories as well. Going to Dairy Queen or their favorite restaurant for honor roll is a great idea. Maybe you lost the 10 lbs. you wanted to lose…call a few friends and go out for a “mini-party” or do a couple of victory laps around the dining room table! It’s OK to act a little crazy…it keeps you young!
On a personal note, you may wish to make one of your goals to help make the world a little better, by making positive impacts on the circle you live in. Be polite when others aren’t and show kindness to the less kind. Stand up for what you believe in and maybe someone else will develop the courage to do the same. Develop a picture of what you want your kids to be like when they are 21 and YOU make the decisions on what will get them there. And above all, have fun. Life truly is short.
One of my goals is to help you BECOME (fill in the blank)! Let’s do it together in 2014. Pil-Sung!
