Jump Starting the New Year

Hi Gents. If you’re catching this blog, chances are you’re like me. We woke up this morning and everything seemed pretty much the same – except a big calendar page flip occurred just a few hours ago. We’re probably packing a few extra pounds from holiday indulgences. We’re just about to hit the ground running as we head back to work and all those things that were part of ‘next year’ that now have become part of ‘right now’. So let me give you five simple tips for a successful start to the New Year. None are profound, and all are easy to do.

1. Find some way to get a good quiet time in today.
2. Only make one resolution, and make it something you can actually complete in January
3. If you still use paper checks, write ‘2009’ in the year column of the first 10 checks, until you get used to the New Year.
4. Try to do one completely others-centered thing today – something that the other person will recognize as your expression of kindness, affection, gratefulness, or respect.
5. Psych yourself up by watching the two minute video that Stephen Altrogge came across in his blog, The Blazing Center. Like Stephen, we don’t endorse all the movies referenced here, but this is really well done and you’ll certainly get the point.
   

Happy New Year!