There is something about the beginning of a new year that fills me with even more optimism than usual. I won’t deny that last year was challenging on many levels for many people around the world. But that simple digit change on the end of the date invites the potential for something different—something better—something hopeful. And as a person who believes in the power of affirmations to help direct our thoughts in positive ways—I decided to go through a few of my favorite quotes to see which ones I want to focus on as 2018 gets underway. [Read more…]
This is Why Goal Setting Really Matters
Thom and I are traveling this week so I invited one of my blogger friends named Susan Mary Malone to share some of her SMART ideas with all of us. Susan lives near Fort Worth, TX and since I found her blog a couple of years ago I am one of her biggest fans. Not only are her ideas practical and relevant, they are also thought-provoking. Please enjoy Susan’s thoughts on goal setting and why they matter.
I’m starting to hear from a lot of folks who made New Year’s Resolutions, and how they have already gone by the wayside.
Don’t you just hate when that happens?
I’m not into the usual sorts of resolutions. Chiefly because, well, they don’t work. Statistics show that 45% of Americans usually make New Year’s Resolutions. And only 8% are successful in achieving them.
Have you noticed that too? Most of us learned this for ourselves a good while back. I’m thinking the 45% of folks still making them are young. [Read more…]
10 Ways To Be More Hopeful And Happy In The New Year
For as long as I can remember I have always encountered a new year with optimism and hope. Even when Y2K or the Mayan 2012 (remember them?) were on the horizon and then passed, I believed that any obstacle we faced in a new year could be overcome by either going over, around, or through the problems in front of us. Now here in 2017, we are faced with new and interesting challenges. But again, it is not my nature, nor the reality that I live in, to believe that optimism and hope are suddenly impossible. As I, and others far wiser than me have said, “Pain may be inevitable, but suffering is always optional.” With that in mind, I’ve spent the first few days of the year coming up with what I believe are ten ways to embrace more happiness and hope in the next 365 days. [Read more…]