Ten of the Best New Year's Resolutions You Can Make Without Letting Yourself Down

1. Resolve to Stay Brutally Optimistic. See the opportunity in every difficulty and anticipate the most a favorite outcome out of every situation. Whatever you look for, that's what you'll find. We can get better or we can get bitter. It all depends on the lessons we draw from each experience. Optimism is like electricity - very little happens without it. Know this truth. You have all the resources you'll ever need to handle all the challenges you'll ever have. In true emergencies the true you will emerge.

2. Resolve to identify the most powerful benefit you offer to the people around you and then deliver it. "The Purpose Of Life", said George Bernard Shaw, "Is a Life Of Purpose". What's your? Where are you investing your personal energy, self preservation or adding value to others? Here's the well-being paradox: If you're only concerned about yourself, you cannot take care of yourself. Only by helping others, can you succeed.

3. Resolve to pump up your personal vitality. In the game of life, it's not about who's right, its about who's left. Over 60 percent of us are more than 36 years old. The real currency of the new century is not cash, It's vitality! It's the ability to keep going every day of every week of every month of the year with vigor and verve. All you are to the people around you is a source of energy, and you cannot give what you don't have. Ninety percent of all adults do no physical exercise at all. More than half of us are overweight. A third of us still smoke. So, this year, resolve to enhance your physical, emotional and mental vitality. Take just a small step. First you'll amaze yourself, and then you'll amaze everybody else.


4. Resolve to be habitually generous. Success is not something you pursue. It's something you attract by what you become. The more you give of yourself, the more favors you attract from others. People have a deep-rooted drive to give back. So resolve to search for ways to contribute to others. Heres an interesting aphorism: Live life above the line. If the line represents others' expectations of you, consistently surpass those expectations. You'll develop what author Ken Blanchard calls "raving fans", people who become walking billboards for you.

5. Resolve to go on a mental diet. Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can scar you for life. It is humans, not elephants, who never forget. So resolve to use language of conciliation, not the language of confrontation. Avoid the temptation to vent your negativity on others. Instead, use words that express your joie de vivre and connection with others.

6. Resolve to be a global citizen, fully open to the cultures and influences of others. There is a direct correlation between personal well being and openness to other peoples' ideas and cultures. If someone has a different point of view, they're probably right as well. There are no absolutes anymore, so welcome different opinions. Become a one-person champion of plurality. Not only will you make lots of new friends, but you'll also gather multiple reference points to help you resolve personal challenges.

7. Resolve to take control of your destiny! Don't be so busy trying to make a living that you forget to make a life. Decide who you want to be and what you want to achieve and then stride boldly toward your vision. The most precious human commodity today is confidence.

8. Resolve to increase your human connectedness. The person with the best connections wins. The wider your network, the more opportunities you generate. It's all about trust. And it's all about profile - your presence of minds of the people who matter. So invest at least 10 percent of your time broadening your sphere of influence. Connect other people to the opportunities within your network: cross-pollinate their potential. When you are with others, make every encounter a pleasureable one. When you listen, truly listen. And burn your fear of rejection.

9. Resolve to increase your creativity by letting go of the familiar. Nothing is as far away as yesterday. Try to see the world through fresh eyes every day. As Salman Rushdie writes, every year is the Stone Age to the year that follows it. Listen to your intuition and follow your instincts. They'll tell you what to do before your head has had a chance to figure it out. You are a Picasso or Einstein at something. Discover what it is and then develop it to the maximum.

10. Resolve to be you because others are already taken. You and I are at our best when we're being authentic. We're at our best when we're being positively spontaneous, because that's when all our energy is being invested in the task at hand or with the person in front of us. In a hyper competitive world, we cannot afford to second guess ourselves. Success in the new century is all about speed ... Speed Wins. So act now, because if not now, when?

Source: Can you believe its that time of year already? Ten of the Best New Year Resolutions you can make, without letting yourself down. By Mike Lipkin First published in December 2001

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Tis the Season - to love technology

A good friend sent an article from You magazine with lots of tips on how to use technology during the holiday season. Here are some great excerpts. The full article follows:

Sharing the Holidays
In these challenging economic times, it may be harder to travel during the holiday season. But that doesn't mean you can't be together, virtually, with your family. Sites like http://www.dropshots.com/ make it easy for friends and relatives to view photos and videos of all your holiday events.

DropShots is a free site where you can easily upload photos and videos to share with a specified group of people. And one of the best parts about DropShots is that it is private.

Great Technology that will help you shop for bargains:

For comparison shopping online, check out http://www.pricegrabber.com/  (rated the top price comparison site by SmartMoney.com). PriceGrabber includes large, national chains as well as smaller merchants. You can search for products or browse through categories. PriceGrabber even includes a separate area for environmentally-friendly products called Shop Green.

If you're not near a computer and still want to find the best prices, just pick up your smartphone. For iPhone users, try the Save Benjis application. For a one-time application charge of 99 cents, Save Benjis allows you to search by product name, manufacturer or by the numbers on the product's bar code. Save Benjis displays multiple locations where you can purchase your product – listed from lowest to highest price.

For the BlackBerry and other Internet-enabled phones, check out Frugalytics. This free app (available from the BlackBerry store) allows you to search by product name or browse products by category.

While all of these comparison sites will show you the online price, many stores' websites include a place to enter a zip code and check the in-store availability for locations near you. And if you're just not sure what gifts to give this holiday season, check out Giftbee. On this site you can search for gifts by category (such as sports) or by a trait (such as pet lover). Giftbee also includes a list of all the hot toys for the holidays.
 
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