Making a Great Year!
12/31/01
Douglas Pagels wrote "A WONDERFUL RESOLUTION FOR THE NEW YEAR" and it seems very fitting as we look to start 2002: "What amazing gifts the new year brings! An entire year's worth of wonderful opportunities, given to us one sunrise at a time. Many of the moments ahead will be marvelously disguised as ordinary days, but each one of us has the chance to make something extraordinary out of them. Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can. Have pages on understanding and tales of overcoming hardships. Fill your story with enthusiasm, adventure, learning, and laughter. And make each chapter reflect time doing these things: Follow your dreams. Work hard. Be kind. Do what you can to make the door open on a day that is filled with inspiration in some special way. Remember: Goodness will be rewarded. Smiles will pay you back. Have fun. Find strength. Be thoughtful. Have faith. Don't focus on anything you lack. Realize that people are the treasures in life, and happiness is the real wealth. Have a diary that describes how you're doing your best, and...the rest will take care of itself."
Do years just happen or do we truly shape them by our actions and attitudes? Certainly some events are so overpowering that life itself is taken, but as long as we live, we always have a choice as to how we handle the cards we are dealt on any given day. There is never nothing that you can do; there is only the question as to whether your actions will produce the desired result or another challenge that will require further actions and choices. As we leave a year of challenges, may we enter into a year of action and attitudes that will help us make change work on and off the job.
In a world of e-mails and Palm Pilots we are losing the power of writing in a diary. Knowing that you have to sum up your day challenges you to make the most of every day. No one wants to write the entry--"It was an insignificant day, and I decided to leave it that way." When you have to write down what you eat; you eat more responsibly. When you know you have to face your diary and you want it to reflect your best, you just may be challenged to make 2002 your best year yet. Let's all make it a happy New Year one day at a time.
MONDAY'S MIRTHFUL MOMENT
Linda Barry sent me this week's mirthful moment--an anonymous collection of insights on one man's journey to find the...THE PERFECT JOB! Enjoy:
My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned...couldn't concentrate.
Next I tried working in a muffler factory, but that was too exhausting.
My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy.
Next was a job in a shoe factory. I figured to be a shoe-in. I gave it my soul, but the boss was a heel.
I became a professional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income.
I got a job feeding giraffes at the zoo, but I wasn't up to it.
After many years of trying to find steady work, I finally got a job as a historian. Then I realized there was no future in it.
My last job was working at Starbucks, but I had to quit because it was the same old grind.
SO, I RETIRED AND I FOUND I AM PERFECT FOR THE JOB!
When you keep your eyes open for mirth, you just may find it! Hope this kicks off your morning and helps get your mood adjusted for the week. Now, get busy MAKING CHANGE WORK and have some fun along the way!...