A note from peter@thewealthyattitude.com for Monday January 5 2009
Well hello there everyone and let me bid you welcome to 2009.
It is my expectation that you've all had an awesome holiday season, and now looking forward to what is bound to be an incredible year. We've been having a great time here at this desk as we determine what we are going to have manifest for us in the coming seasons.
If you are like us, you are planning on taking full advantage of every single tool that comes you way to assist you in navigating a world where all of the typical rules are changing. On that note, we are re-launching our website www.thewealthyattitude.com as a resource center for all home-based business entrepreneurs.
We'll be adding tools and techniques that will assist you regardless of your business. You can be a networker, a lawyer, an accountant, a day-care nursery, or any of the myriad of amazing home-based enterprises, and you'll find information that will help you in your endeavors.
So to get us off on a grand note for 2009, we turn to one of our most requested contributors as he sets a tone that you'll enjoy.
The first Daily Reader of a new year is always special, like the first footprints on the new snow we got this week. I want it to set the tone for everything to follow, the way the first hour of the morning sets the tone for the entire day.
As long-time subscribers know, I write TIPS because I'm convinced each of us has the ability--and deserves!--to live an extraordinary life. Each of us is unique and colorful, with our own sense of hope, vision, and possibility, and we are the most intelligent beings on earth. We can go to the moon, make music, invent stuff, and love one another.
And yet, too often our days are filled with stress and fatigue. We are so busy we forget to watch the dawn, we fail to smile, we don't laugh enough. Too often, we ignore our need for hugs, and for kindness. I am troubled by Henry Thoreau's observation that "most men live lives of quiet desperation." For myself, I am determined to prove that he was seriously mistaken!
As we begin another year, I am re-committing to living a great life. My highest and best goals for this year are to have more fun, to get more hugs, to give more joy, to do what I can to make a positive difference on this small planet.
Mary and I have our annual list of specific goals. We have nine categories this year, ranging from family finances to travel and work, but the over-all theme for the year is joy.
Your goals and your system for attaining them may be different, but here is the most important thing I can share with you at the start of a new year.
If you're ready, here it is: Have a great day!
Annie Dillard noted that, "How we live our days is how we live our lives." To make 2009 a great year, you'll want to collect approximately 365 great days, and most days begin in the morning. So it follows that to have a great year, start with a good breakfast!
In all seriousness, how you begin the morning sets the tone for the day, which is the time of your life. This is important stuff! Choose the first hour of your day!
For some people, a great day begins with reading or prayer. Others begin at the gym, while others start by getting the kids dressed and off to school. Some make oatmeal, fruit and coffee; I usually walk the dog and write for a few minutes. Henry Thoreau recommended getting up early to greet the dawn. I think success requires that you start the day in the way that is right for you.
This is your life! You can't wait for "someday" to enjoy it! You can't wait for a big break, for a better economy, warmer weather or until you "feel like it." As someone wisely said, "don't wait for your ship come in, swim out to meet it!"
Decide carefully and precisely exactly how you want to start your day each morning. Think carefully about what gets you going, what seems "right" and special. What empowers you, gives you confidence and energy for the day? Be intentional about the morning! Negotiate your schedule, explain to the kids, do whatever it takes, but make it happen. Your life begins fresh and new each morning.
Specifically, I suggest you start your morning before going to bed the night before. Set the breakfast table, arrange your wardrobe, do what you need to do. Set the alarm clock, get a good night's sleep, wake up with a plan and activate it immediately.
To make 2009 your best year ever, arrange to have lots of extremely good days! Work hard, play often. Sing and dance, read more, hug and laugh more. Be more daring, take more naps, invent something, take a trip, have brunch with your best friend. Arrange for 365 great days and I promise, the year will take care of itself!
1 comment:
Thanks so much for the reminder that our journey begins with a step...and our day begins with our morning. It is important that, when we wake, we check our thoughts, first, and direct them toward joy and love, even before putting our feet on the floor. Then, we have a better chance of having a beautiful morning and a great journey. Blessings to you for a wonderful, joyful year!
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