Happy New Year 2014

Did you ring out the old and ring in the new with another New Years Resolution? Well, this New Year is like any other and is simply the dates on the calendar changing again.

While you may have decided to make a resolution again this year to change some aspect of your life, or your whole life this can be done at any time, and on any day regardless of the date on the calendar.

Somehow we believe that the beginning of a New Year is the time to make the changes necessary to have this year be better than the old year. It's a time when we resolve to make minor or major changes, yet you will still need to make adjustments during the year to reach your goals, to make those changes you deem necessary. So part of your New Years resolution is to know that you will need to make changes during the year, not just at the beginning.

Obviously, in order to make those changes, the first change you must recognize is what you need to change in you. So often the change you want is for those around you to change, and then your circumstances will change. However, the change you seek is not external to you it is within you. It is not about others changing it is about you changing yourself and by doing that your circumstances, and those around you change.

The reason you seek change is because you are desperate to break the cycle that you have been in that is uncomfortable and just not working. You seem to be pulled into this vortex of reoccurring negativity, because you have become pessimistic and don't believe that certain changes are possible. It's almost like you're swimming in this vast ocean at night and you can't get your bearings. You're so lost that you can't decide whether you want to meet your fate of being swallowed alive by the sea, or if you want to see the lights on the distant shore and muster the energy to swim to safety. Are you going to allow your emotions to take over your life, or will you let your logic, experiences, and your intuitive self make those changes necessary to have a fulfilled life. The fulfilled life I'm speaking of is where you're healthy and happy, where you have great relationships with everyone, where you're financially secure, and where you're connected spiritually to a higher source.

If the New Year is the only time you believe you can make resolutions it's time to make a resolution to make a plan for the rest of your life, not just for a few weeks or a few months at the beginning of the year, and then to slip off into oblivion again. It is time to always maintain an optimistic view, to summon the strength and courage to change, and make an effort to remove yourself from that black hole and step into the light.

Happy New Year

Depending on the climate, a year is composed of four seasons, often three, sometimes even less. The day that is chosen to make the year 'new' is arbitrary and cultural. However, that is not meant to say, necessarily, that is a bad thing. Indeed, New Year's day- or at least New Year's Eve anyway- is probably the most optimistic day of the year for most people.

But a month or so into the new year- or even less- find people waking up in the morning living their old routines and not too excited about all the great things they're in the process of making happen this year. Indeed, people even go through with their resolutions (they quit smoking for example) but even the fact that they don't smoke anymore seems like old hat.

It seems possible that there is a way of living where every day of one's life is as exciting as the New Year, that promises and possibilities for growth are right there for the picking like a fruit ripe on the tree. Every new moment offers the possibility of renewal; every second is pregnant with boundless opportunities. New Year's is a time when people emerge from their tunnel vision and say, "I'm finally going to do something great; I'm going to make it happen!" And why shouldn't people do this? Not just on New Year's but every day?

Life should not be lived in a world draped in grey. The world is a canvas- the heart a palette of paints. This life is exciting! Cherish every moment of it, even when you don't feel like it. Remember, resolutions are to start anew- that's the promise for growth- but they're also about stopping bad habits, and living a gloomy, ho hum existence is a very bad habit.

Happy New Year Quotes

As we begin the New Year, I thought it appropriate to explore the very greeting that so many of us share with one another this time of year. My unscientific assumption is that most of us want very much to be happy. For me, it's like a dashboard indicator that the myriad pieces that make up my life are generally working well and are in harmony with each other. But how do you find it? I've long heard that happiness is a journey, not a destination. Others have opined that happiness is a choice we make (or not) each day. Both notions are true of course, but they're not the whole story.

New Research on Happiness 

There have been several studies published recently which have explored the notion of happiness on a much more thorough and scientific basis than ever before. In her new book, The How of Happiness, University of California Professor Sonja Lyubomirsky concluded that as much as 50% of a person's capacity to be [consistently] happy is either genetic or set through social conditioning by age 16. Another 10% is determined by their present life circumstances (financial, relationships, work, etc.). And that leaves about40% that's determined by something else. According to Lyubomirsky, that "something else" is our attitude, disposition, our intention and our expectations.

Implications 

The so-what of this research is that, yes, some people do in fact have an easier time being and staying happy. While to some, this may be a bit depressing, it's actually okay with me. There will always be people smarter than me on certain topics, more skilled at certain tasks, and "wired" a bit more soundly in certain areas (just ask my wife). The good news is that I still am in control of at least 40% of what results in my level of happiness on a day-to-day basis. In fact, because my belief is that my life circumstances are also mostly shaped by the decisions I make and actions I take, I'm actually capable of controlling about 50% of my happiness variables...and that's just in the short run.

Happiness and Relationships 

There is another important, new finding on happiness that is also worth noting. In his book, Stumbling on Happiness, Professor Daniel Gilbert notes that almost all happiness is experienced within the context of our relationships with other people. While certain discreet events (like winning a prize, or accomplishing a goal) may bring some level of individual pleasure, the most sustainable happiness events are either experienced or practiced within the context of others in our lives. Supporting this notion, Lyubomirsky's research participants who did not have healthy, satisfying relationships generally rated themselves as less happy on her subjective Happiness Quiz.

It's also interesting to know a little about the relationship between happiness and money. While we've all heard that money can't buy happiness (or love), there are some situations where it actually can. But there are a few conditions that need to be considered. According to Gilbert, money will only contribute to a person's happiness if 1) you spend it right, 2) you've come from relatively low means to start with, 3) you have more of it than most of the others within your circle of family, friends and associates.