5 Secrets to Your Success in the New Year

Today, I've taken some of the most popular New Year’s resolutions and I’m sharing ways you (and I) can realize success for each of them.

1.   Lose weight.  This one hits close to home. Every year, I put this at the top of my New Year’s resolutions list. In fact, many times, I put only this on my list. Some years, I would go on a diet (i.e. Atkins: lost 12 pounds, gained them back—and then some-- after I quit the diet) and some years, I would join a gym (i.e. Gold’s 1-year membership: went regularly a few times a week for a few months, had surgery, never went back). Secret #1: The key to success is in the quit; don’t do it! When I looked back at the ways I’d failed in losing weight, year after year, I realized that my failure was all about quitting before I realized success. This year, I’m challenging myself to be successful in losing a few pounds and getting fit. I have a plan and I’m sticking to it! (And for those of you who know me personally, you’ll know by the end of the year if this worked or not!) And if you’re celebrating the season and new year with alcohol, be aware of the calories you’re consuming. For those who drink, approximately 16% of the calories they consume are from alcohol. So, when you make your plan, consider the liquids you consume as well as the foods. Be sure to check with your doctor for a plan that’s right for you.
2.  Save money.  Often, at the end of the year, we look back wishing we’d been more financially savvy. If you find yourself wishing you’d saved more of your hard-earned money, here’s how to give yourself the best chance to make that happen. Secret #2: Change your attitude. When you change your attitude towards money, you can begin to change your financial life. Best-selling author and financial guru, Dave Ramsey says, “It’s time to change the attitudes that keep you broke.” Financial Peace University is his ‘baby’ and the program has helped millions change their financial stories. The first steps are getting past the myths of debt and money, embracing the changes you’re making even when they’re painful and doing it all with a new attitude toward your finances. Click here for more info on how financial peace of mind can be yours. 
3.  Help others. The spirit of giving during the Christmas season prompts us to open our hearts to those less fortunate and less able to care for themselves. But just because Christmas is over doesn't mean our hearts have changed. When making resolutions for a new year, we often find ourselves resolving to give a little more, to dig a little more deeply into our pockets and into our hearts to ease another’s burden, feed some hungry tummies or help out Santa on his merry rounds. Secret #3: Keep your spirit of giving alive. Look around you. There’s more opportunity for giving than ever. Whether you donate a pint of blood, a few cans of food to a food bank or volunteer at a local school, you can put a smile on someone’s face and make a difference in their lives. For a really cool idea we can do together, click here.
4.   Go green. It’s not just a popular idea, it’s a good idea. And an idea that can get your creative juices flowing in finding ways to do it. Secret #4: Simplify your life. Recycling is top of the list when it comes to going green. If you aren't recycling, the new year is a great time to start. And if you are, what about recycling all your unused items, clothes, etc. and live a bit more simply? (Oh, how I need to do this!) Contact your local charity store and find out when they accept donations. Or, start your own ‘free store.’ It can be a one-time community swap or an ongoing physical store where people can bring their unwanted items and pick up items they want or need. At the end of the day, you’ll have simplified your life and given yourself a freedom from all the ‘things’ that hold you hostage in the cleaning, maintaining and upkeep of them all. Plus, you’ll have provided others with gently-used items and clothing that make their lives a little better. And, if the planet had a capacity to love, it would love you for taking care of it.
5.  Travel more. Wow, who wouldn't like to travel to new places and experience the different foods, languages and cultures? Or maybe you’re interested in travelling around your own country, to parts unknown to you? Even here in the United States, there are so many differences depending on what part of the country you’re in. Secret #5: Chase your dreams. If your dream is to travel, just do it. Not that easy? Then chase that dream and make a plan. I recently found that if you want to, say, take a cruise, but find it hard to part with that lump sum of money, you can opt to make manageable payments. Also, check to see if you qualify for employee perks that include travel packages or if you can rack up points to use toward travel when using your debit / credit cards. Don’t just dream about it; do it. Click here for a good place to start chasing your travel dreams. 

The really cool part about these 5 secrets is that you can use them to find success in keeping your New Year’s resolutions and in other areas of your life. Check it out:

·                Secret #1: The key to success is in the quit; don’t do it!

·                Secret #2: Change your attitude.  

·                Secret #3: Keep your spirit of giving alive.

·                Secret #4: Simplify your life.

·                Secret #5: Chase your dreams.

How’s that for a game plan for life?

So, break open the bubbly (non-alcoholic, please) and make a toast to your success in the coming New Year!

Jean

Wanna share your thoughts?

1)      Made any New Year’s resolutions?

2)      Have a resolution-keeping success story?

3)      Do you like travelling and where have you been? 

End of the World or the Beginning of a Better One?

Maybe the Mayan scholars had it right. All year we’ve been captivated by the predictions. How the end of the world was coming on 12/21/12. Why? Because of a Mayan prediction and the end of their calendar. True? Actually, according to Mayan scholars, 12/21/12 was never a date we should be afraid of. But no one seemed to be listening. Even NASA felt the need to create a website addressing questions surrounding the predicted event.

Leading up to this “doomsday” people began preparing for the end in many ways. Some wrote books about it; some debated the validity of the prediction; some planned end-of-the-world parties. Then, there were those like me that watched all this from the sidelines and lived our lives as usual.

Today 12/21/12 arrived. And, for most, nothing happened. For me, something did. You know those random acts of kindness? All week I’ve been hearing about them. Even people I know personally have either acted randomly or been the recipient of kindnesses. Each time I hear of an instance, it warms my heart. There have been numerous times when people have been blessed by a complete stranger paying for their meals in a restaurant or paying for the person behind them in the drive-thru line at McDonalds.

And a friend told how she was in the checkout line in the grocery store. As she dug into her purse, she realized her wallet was missing; knowing it probably had fallen out in her car (at least, hoping that it had), she told the store clerk she would be right back to pay. By the time she came back into the store, her groceries were bagged up and ready to go, paid for by a kind soul who had been in the checkout line behind her. Over $60.

Then, just last night, a friend shared how a group of folks in her company are giving of themselves to the families of last week’s Sandy Hook school massacre. Even though they are hundreds of miles apart. Love in action.

Somehow, I think God smiles when He sees people taking care of the needs of each other in such selfless acts. Isn’t that what it’s all about? Isn’t our best example of this evidenced by the advent of the One whose birth we’ll celebrate December 25^th? His life. His death. His promise to come again. After all, He’s the one who taught use to “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

And then today, it happened to me. Oh, I didn’t know it was going to happen. And maybe most would think it wasn’t such a big deal, but for me, it was.  You see, it showed me that no matter your age or circumstances, you can find ways to participate in these random acts of kindness. I just happened to be inside the house when I heard a crash outside. It’s pretty windy today and my recycling bin had blown over. And it was full! Or had been. Now, all I saw were milk cartons and plastic soda containers being blown down the sidewalk and across the neighborhood. I ran outside in the biting wind, righted the bin and began to refill it, chasing the recyclables as the wind continued to blow. In less than a minute, a little boy, about 8 years old, ran over and, without a word, began to help. He’d run out of the house next door, not even bothering to put on a coat. He just saw a need and filled it. Just like those other folks have done and are doing in “paying it forward.”

So, maybe, just maybe, today isn’t the end of the world. But it can be the beginning of a better world when we take the opportunity to look for the needs of others and fill them. Need ideas? Clickhere.

So, I say, way to go Mayans, for bringing an end to their calendar. It gave us reason to think about how an idea can be blown out of proportion and escalate into a bogus prediction. It gave us reason to think twice before we buy into the next big thing. (What about the coming December 23-25 blackout?) And it probably gave the dude writing out that calendar a little writing cramp relief. Of course, according to NASA, the calendar doesn’t end. Just like ours begins again in January, the Mayan calendar simply ends one long-count period and begins another.

Most of all, 12/21/12 has given me a little blessing and prompted me to think of how I can “pay it forward.” And, who knows, that little 8-year-old just might find something more under his tree on Christmas Day than even Santa Claus knows about. 

Jean