I love the quote from Abraham Lincoln that, "Most people
are about as happy as they make up their minds to be."
I know, happiness is a bit mysterious and it is influenced
by forces beyond our control, but the truth remains that we
are mostly in control of our lives. We have tremendous
control over our lives, our choices and our results. Every
day, our actions define and impact our destiny! Our choices
and our attitudes make a difference! That is an enormous,
awesome truth.
Too many people around us (not, thank goodness, my readers)
I know, happiness is a bit mysterious and it is influenced
by forces beyond our control, but the truth remains that we
are mostly in control of our lives. We have tremendous
control over our lives, our choices and our results. Every
day, our actions define and impact our destiny! Our choices
and our attitudes make a difference! That is an enormous,
awesome truth.
Too many people around us (not, thank goodness, my readers)
seem to drift through life. One year is
pretty much a continuation of the previous year. They allow
circumstances, even the weather (!) to influence their
state of mind, their behavior, and ultimately, their
success in life.
But not you!
My readers profoundly understand that they are almost
entirely in charge of their own lives. We choose our
activities, our commitments, our strategies and our
outcomes. They understand that the "little
things" make all the difference.
Sure, the economy and politics, war and peace and "fate"
play a role. We know that. But we choose not to be
controlled by circumstances "out there."
My readers know that in our own little corner of the
world, we are the boss. We decide things and our decisions
impact every aspect of our lives. We choose when to get up,
how hard we work and where we focus our attention. We
decide what to think about. We fill our lives with joy and
pride, we surround ourselves with worthwhile projects. We
practice generosity rather than greed, we give and
contribute, we build rather than tear down. We plant seeds,
make plans, and live our dreams.
Let others worry and pout, but not you. Let others
complain, but not you! Let others live small and
constrained lives, let others see limitation and lack.
As for you and me, the sun comes up every morning and with
it we get another 24 hours of unlimited potential and a
thousand small decisions that make all the difference.
We run our own lives! In many ways, that's a revolutionary,
radical concept. Most people act as if chance or fate, luck
or even their DNA runs the world. We know better. We know a
smile works better than a scowl. We know gratitude creates
a richer world in which to live. We know our power!
We have the power to create love, to build, and to build up
others. We have the power to learn, to invent. And most
importantly, we have the power to choose our attitudes and
to use our time and our energy for worthwhile tasks.
Every year, I choose a motto for the year. Last
year, it was "Forward in Fifteen." In a thousand small
ways, day in and day out, that simple motto motivated
action. Most of those actions were small, even trivial
things that by themselves could be seen as inconsequential.
But in 365 days, they moved us forward. We moved forward on
our health and wealth. We made small investments and took
small steps that, together, made our home more inviting,
more comfortable, and I suspect, more valuable.
Those small choices moved us Forward to learn and laugh.
They caused us to take risks, try things, occasionally to
fail, but we always kept moving forward.
For 2016 we've chosen the motto, Sweet Sixteen. I don't
know what the year will bring, but I suspect it will be
very sweet, indeed. I suspect we'll have about 365 new days
and with them, a thousand new ways to become the people we
want to be and to create the life we've chosen for
ourselves.
I invite you to borrow our motto or to come up with your
own. Create a vision, a sense of optimism, hope and
resilience. I imagine that, like most years, life and
circumstances will throw us some difficulties. There may be
some disappointments, even frustrations or failures. I've
only been on this small planet for 47 years and I'm still
trying to get the hang of it. Sometimes this place confuses
me and my best efforts go astray.
But for the most part, there seem to be rules about "cause
and effect." Things seem reasonably predictable and
straight-forward.
If I do my part, if I make smart choices, use my time
wisely, plan thoroughly, get good advice, and don't cheat
or get lazy, things work out.
So, I expect a very Sweet Sixteen. I expect to make some
money, have some fun, learn a few things, and go boldly
where we've never gone before. I invite you to join
pretty much a continuation of the previous year. They allow
circumstances, even the weather (!) to influence their
state of mind, their behavior, and ultimately, their
success in life.
But not you!
My readers profoundly understand that they are almost
entirely in charge of their own lives. We choose our
activities, our commitments, our strategies and our
outcomes. They understand that the "little
things" make all the difference.
Sure, the economy and politics, war and peace and "fate"
play a role. We know that. But we choose not to be
controlled by circumstances "out there."
My readers know that in our own little corner of the
world, we are the boss. We decide things and our decisions
impact every aspect of our lives. We choose when to get up,
how hard we work and where we focus our attention. We
decide what to think about. We fill our lives with joy and
pride, we surround ourselves with worthwhile projects. We
practice generosity rather than greed, we give and
contribute, we build rather than tear down. We plant seeds,
make plans, and live our dreams.
Let others worry and pout, but not you. Let others
complain, but not you! Let others live small and
constrained lives, let others see limitation and lack.
As for you and me, the sun comes up every morning and with
it we get another 24 hours of unlimited potential and a
thousand small decisions that make all the difference.
We run our own lives! In many ways, that's a revolutionary,
radical concept. Most people act as if chance or fate, luck
or even their DNA runs the world. We know better. We know a
smile works better than a scowl. We know gratitude creates
a richer world in which to live. We know our power!
We have the power to create love, to build, and to build up
others. We have the power to learn, to invent. And most
importantly, we have the power to choose our attitudes and
to use our time and our energy for worthwhile tasks.
Every year, I choose a motto for the year. Last
year, it was "Forward in Fifteen." In a thousand small
ways, day in and day out, that simple motto motivated
action. Most of those actions were small, even trivial
things that by themselves could be seen as inconsequential.
But in 365 days, they moved us forward. We moved forward on
our health and wealth. We made small investments and took
small steps that, together, made our home more inviting,
more comfortable, and I suspect, more valuable.
Those small choices moved us Forward to learn and laugh.
They caused us to take risks, try things, occasionally to
fail, but we always kept moving forward.
For 2016 we've chosen the motto, Sweet Sixteen. I don't
know what the year will bring, but I suspect it will be
very sweet, indeed. I suspect we'll have about 365 new days
and with them, a thousand new ways to become the people we
want to be and to create the life we've chosen for
ourselves.
I invite you to borrow our motto or to come up with your
own. Create a vision, a sense of optimism, hope and
resilience. I imagine that, like most years, life and
circumstances will throw us some difficulties. There may be
some disappointments, even frustrations or failures. I've
only been on this small planet for 47 years and I'm still
trying to get the hang of it. Sometimes this place confuses
me and my best efforts go astray.
But for the most part, there seem to be rules about "cause
and effect." Things seem reasonably predictable and
straight-forward.
If I do my part, if I make smart choices, use my time
wisely, plan thoroughly, get good advice, and don't cheat
or get lazy, things work out.
So, I expect a very Sweet Sixteen. I expect to make some
money, have some fun, learn a few things, and go boldly
where we've never gone before. I invite you to join
me in making this our Best Year Ever!
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