With 2004 ending and a new year approaching, now is the time to look back over the year and think about not only what we’ve done and would do the same in 2005, but also what we would do differently.

While the elections of this year and the war in Iraq have consumed the majority of the media, I hope that, meanwhile, everyone has enjoyed many wonderful times in 2004 (i.e. family get-togethers, getaways, career successes, and holiday celebrations). As you think back about 2004, consider the following:

• Typically, when we are enjoying an event, we are ‘in the moment’ and seldom thinking about the event itself. Only after the moment passes do we usually find ourselves reflecting back upon it. Think of it like sitting in the theater after the movie is finished, when you are reflecting on the events of the film. Just as you do with a movie, ‘replay’ the highlights of 2004 in your mind, as if you could view them in a movie entitled, “This is My Life.” Would you feel happy, glad, sad, or even mad after each scene? What makes you feel that way?

• “When you fall down, pick something up.” While we can’t undo the past, we can apply the wisdom in this quote by looking kindly—not critically—at choices we’ve made and the lesson learned from them. It’s what I call ‘Squeezing Gold out of Concrete’ given our past is unchangeable like concrete.

• Every major event in our life can be a wall or a window. Since I convert invisible ideas into visible pictures easily, I’ll use the analogy of “walls versus windows” when comparing the two ways to look at life’s events. We have the option of viewing each event that happens in life as nothing more than a wall, or we can look “through” that event like looking through a window to see not just the ‘what’ details of it, but also the ‘why’ of it and how it happened.

• Replace 20/20 Hindsight with 20/20 Foresight. When looking back at an event, we can easily see what went right and what went wrong. Hindsight is, after all, 20/20. But wouldn’t it be wonderful to develop 20/20 foresight? You can! Simply take time to detach from the event and look at it proactively. To do that, plan ahead and think “through” any upcoming event and how you’ll respond to other people’s choices or how you’ll make your own choices, based on your values (i.e. honesty, respect, patience, etc.).

• Learn from the seven ‘pivotal points’ of your life that Dr. Phil refers to as ‘significant turning points.’ These are the times in our lives when we’ve made a major change in the direction of our journey. For me, two of those ‘seven pivotal points’ were my two major moves—first from the Midwest to the Bay Area in California, and then from California here to the RTP area. Along with getting acclimated to a new job each time, each move entailed a lot of changes in my personal life. Another example is my recent choice to leave the corporate world after 20+ years and start my own company. As an entrepreneur and moving across the country, it’s easy to understand how making a major change causes people to feel a bit of what Columbus did when he embarked on a trip into unknown territory!

Ready or Not! Here Comes 2005!
As you embark upon 2005, consider not only what you have to do, but also why and how you will do it. We do many of our daily tasks automatically—getting the kids off to school, going through morning emails, finishing that big project, etc. Life’s events can happen so fast leaving you feeling caught up on a live roller coaster or ‘dodge-um car’ ride at a carnival when we get propelled into the hustle and bustle of all of our commitments. Yet, woven into all these activities that fill up our day are opportunities to show others our values and priorities. Success is no accident, but a series of choices turned into events.

Are you creating your life based on your values and
priorities or based on other people’s expectations of you?

Think of any upcoming event in your life. You’ll feel better by taking the time to ‘ABC,’ or ‘Assess Before Continuing,’ by weighing the pros and cons—especially long-term! By applying this method of making choices in 2005, you can more successfully design your future and create a wonderful year by simply making ‘conscious and caring choices’ and we all know that the reward for that effort is “What Goes Around Comes Around.” Have fun in 2005 creating the best year you can imagine – for yourself and the wonderful, rippling effect it’ll have in our world!