Looking Forward

[] Let me start by wishing everyone a Happy New Year. I know that some had an amazing 2013 and some not so much, regardless, the year is over. With that being said, I am looking forward to new experiences, new things to learn, and new people to meet. I have always made new year's resolutions hoping for better health, better habits, less of this, more of that, etc... However, this year I am going to not set any annual goals. It is often that goals that are set are missed mainly because they are either unrealistic, or not well-defined. Here are a few examples: "I want to get in better shape", "I want to eat better", "I want to lose 40 lbs by February 1", "I want to run a marathon by March 1"... the "I want to be better" are not well-defined and therefore not attainable. The other's that specify dates are possibly not attainable due to unrealistic behavior. One thing I have learned over time is that momentum is key to success in anything. That goes both ways too. Momentum is simply the impetus gained by a moving object. It does not specify positive or negative regarding direction.

I have noticed that people have a tendency to beat themselves up way worse than anyone else can. We notice our imperfections, our flaws, our failures, etc... We rarely focus on how successful we are. I have often heard, "I learn more from my failures than I do my successes". I disagree with that, I learn a lot more from my successes and how to replicate success. However, I do remember my failures much longer than my successes. I look forward to 2014 as a huge opportunity to grow. I want to focus on getting organized, establishing a morning routine, and creating better content on this blog to help inspire others, educate some, and hopefully get feedback from people on how to help. I truly believe that God has better plan than we can imagine and the best feeling on the planet is helping someone else succeed and watching them get excited. I love teaching, I crave education, and I embrace those who share that passion. What is so interesting about that is I enjoy watching the student who WANTS to learn. They realize experience is valuable, and that time is even more precious.

The most important thing I know I can share with someone else is not my experiences, my stories, my education... but my time. My time to listen to them. My time to truly understand what they want to achieve and if I can help them achieve that then great. I also know my limitations. My time constraints, my obligations, and my personal goals prevent me from being available 100% of the time to everyone, but there are a few people I have encountered in my life that always appreciate when we talk, as rare as it is, and it is those people who I truly cherish.

So to all those people in 2014, and I'll call out a few: Gerry F, Ryan C, Carlo M, Patti, Jamison, Mike L, Chad A, Dave M, Jaimee, and most importantly my wife Susie, thank you for listening, tolerating, guiding, and always inspiring me to be better, humble, educated, and loving. Thank you all and I look forward to seeing all of you in 2014, be online, in person, or simply in prayer.

Thanks for stopping by...