Optimism abounds

I feel great about 2012. It seems that everywhere I look, people are optimistic about what this year may hold. After the past 2 to 3 years of so much pessimism, heartbreak, and lost opportunities - it's time for some hope, courage, strength, optimism, and focus. Time to shed the past, forget the mistakes, learn from them, and make better decisions as we move forward. Just like there's Resolutions people make to do things, here's a brief list of a few Resolutions that we should all take to heart, but it's a list of things NOT to do:

1. Don't listen to the critical, negative talk in our own heads. Nothing good can possibly come from that. What we think on, we become. Instead, we need to think different if we want our lives to be different.

2. Quit eating things that we know are killing us. We know white sugar, white flour, artificial flavors and colors, high fructose corn syrup, and other chemicals are not good for us. There's enough research results out there to prove our usual foods are barely "food" at all. Instead, we should focus on trying to live longer and healthier lives by eating more natural, healthy and organic foods whenever we can. At the very least, we should add more fruits and vegetables to our diet and cut out the sugars and artificial sweeteners. Did you know they have more in common to pesticides than food? Time to make conscious changes.

3. Stop wasting our resources. I'm not talking about the whole green planet thing. I'm talking about learning from mistakes of the past. So many people in America got into debt over their heads from using credit cards unwisely, buying more home and/or car than they could truly afford, and other such errors. It's not wrong to have nice things - if you can pay for them. Going into debt just to keep up with others is just plain dumb, and too many of us fell into that trap. Some of us were wise with our money, but jobs were taken away, companies closed their doors, and we were taken by surprise. What can we do differently next time? SAVE! I've never heard a good financial planner who didn't suggest paying yourself first, put money into savings BEFORE you pay other bills. If you don't do it then, you never will. When another storm comes, you'll once again be caught without the resources to get through it.

4. Family and friends have to stop taking a back seat to everything else. The generation behind mine saw so many kids who's parents were so absorbed in TV that they neglected to properly raise hard-working, respectful children. Then there's the crowd of workaholics. They hide in their work because it's where they get their self-worth. Carving out one night a week, or a few hours on a weekend, will that really bring them to the brink of bankruptcy? They act like it. If it does, then they aren't very good at their job, are they? Time to prioritize. People are more important that we realize, especially our family - they won't be around forever. Once they're gone, it's too late for a do-over. Appreciate them now.

5. And finally, this year, let's not worry about things we can't change. Let's just focus on those things we CAN change.

May 2012 bring you wisdom, creativity, good health, wealth, fun, loving relationships, and peace.