It’s time to give myself credit.

As I stand here at the beginning of a new year, pondering what I’m going to do (and not do) this coming year, Brain reminded me of something… I did quite a lot this past year. I accomplished much. And as I look to the future, I believe it’s important to recognize and give myself credit for that which I did this past year, these past months, weeks and days. This is not to say that I want to live in the past – not at all. I just think it’s important to step into tomorrow with the confidence that I have done much in my life thus far. And while there is much yet to be done, places to go, people to meet and changes to make, that in and of itself brings me great joy. By recognizing my past accomplishments it gives me confidence that my future goals and desires are indeed within my grasp.

On benchmark days like today, many look back negatively or with a sense of regret; all the opportunities missed, the things never done, and the choices made - or not. If that’s you. Stop it. It’s far better to use those experiences as a launch pad to better things and a brighter future – Who’s to say that those undone experiences, projects and choices can’t be made this year? It’s not over till it’s over. And that’s not today.

As an aside, I’m not a believer in New Year's Resolutions. Statistics show that 80% of those fail in the long run. So I’m not suggesting any of us do that. Rather, my suggestion is for us all to simply stop for a moment, and reflect on all our accomplishments (big and small) and use those as a springboard into the New Year. It’s also wise to recognize that everything doesn’t have to change in the next week, month or even year. Start small if necessary. There’s something better than a New Years Resolution. Its called “Kaizen” which is the process of small, incremental change. Imagine if you can simply do 1% more or be 1% better every day, by this time next year, you’ll have succeeded and have much more on which to reflect and build upon.

So today, let’s all take a breath and a moment to give ourselves credit, and then tomorrow... start fresh, new, better. The proof is in the past – we’ve accomplished much. All we have to do is keep on keepin’ on and remember that every day is an opportunity to start anew and build on what we have done, or start that which we have yet to begin.

With that I say, as I often do, “Onward!”