Happy New Year!

The new year holds enormous potential for success in every facet of our lives.  We begin the year with great intentions.  Only by intently focusing on the areas most important to us and taking concrete, manageable steps to sustain our commitment will we succeed.  An unrealistic list of expectations is destined to derail our efforts.  Our best chances for success result by:

• Tackling a reasonable number of priorities
•  Breaking big goals into bite-size chunks
• Celebrating mini-successes as we achieve a milestone or enhance a skill

Happy New Year!

How We Measure Success

I enjoy Scrabble and have convinced myself that the mental exercise is good for me.  Because I'm achievement oriented, I started tracking my scores this year.  I've played and won 67 games since January.  By the pure win/loss measurement, I'm doing great at 100%.  However, I established a different threshold for my success.  I've been tracking the percentage of my scores that are 300 points or more.  When I made my goal tougher, my success rate fell to just over 80%.  But, I've become a better player by continually challenging myself.

When something becomes too easy for us, we sometimes need to raise our expectations.  Often, improved performance will result.

Recipe for Success

To create a life well-lived:

Begin with a loving family
Add a quality education
Cultivate a wide circle of supportive friends
Blend in a heaping assortment of healthy activities daily
Sprinkle 365 days of gratitude each year
Cut in 2 listening ears each day
Pour continuous communications
Dash energy throughout the day
Blend in 6-8 hours of sleep each night
Meld passionate pursuit of a cause (family, work and/or volunteer activities)
Open your heart and hands to community
Baste with empathy
Chop negativity
Beat expectations
Mold the life you want to be remembered for
Cook consistently 24x7x365 at 98.6 degrees