The bells are rung, and the horns are blown. Are you among the living? My hope is that you are, and though you may not have your list of resolutions already plotted (I usually don’t have anything hammered out until the end of January, and most don’t take effect until around sometime in June), it’s a great time to think about what you will do in 2017. Here are a few suggestions:
1. PARTICIPATE, DON’T COMMISERATE
2016 is over. It’s time to pick up our boot straps and get stuff done. I don’t know about you, but I was lost those last couple of months of the year. Had some pretty bad writer’s block, and was a Grinch around the house. Why? It was a dark time for me, but then I remembered how truly awful pouting is, and how contagious it can be. As a famous presidential candidate’s husband once said: “Pessimism becomes a convenient excuse for doing nothing.” –Bill Clinton. So, “Get up, stand up. Stand up for your rights.” -Bob Marley
2. CONNECTION FIRST, COACHING SECOND
My sons are physical and rambunctious kids, and reigning them in can be tough for me. For a while I’d said I wanted them to have a healthy fear of me, where my firm words and a stern look would solve it all. Then the future stared right back at me: I don’t want my sons to grow up to be arrogant bullies. My hope is they become diplomatic gentlemen. For them to get there, I must foster an environment of trust, respect, and open communication. I need to praise their progress in the process, not whether they won or lost.
3. PAY ATTENTION
There’s no need to reiterate that we’re way too distracted in all areas of our lives. There’s no telling what can happen if we look away for just a moment. The best thing we can do for ourselves, our families, and especially our children is to keep focused, and pay attention to their needs. Whatever we hold dear, we must protect. Keep both eyes open and concentrated, they are one of a few passageways to a still mind.
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Photo credit: Robert Couse-Baker.