Did you make resolutions?
I sure hope not!
To me, resolutions have always seemed like little digs at ourselves — subtle messages of failure.
“Here’s what I was bad at and resolve to do better…”

Why start the year that way? 

Here’s a thought — look back at the past year, see in what ways you were great, and resolve to be and do more of that!

You probably have today off of work, right? So take 30 minutes and really examine 2015 to acknowledge all of your accomplishments. ALL!!

Did you finally sew the button on that blouse you loved but weren’t wearing because of the missing button? Does your dog no longer chew on the chair leg because you figured out how to stop her? Did you take a last-minute weekend getaway just to take care of you or rekindle a relationship? Get out your old calendar and see what you might have forgotten — a critical business meeting, a ball game attended, a holiday shared with friends. Those are all things to celebrate and be proud of. Start the New Year reminding yourself how much you’ve done that was AWESOME!

And once you do that, if you are so inclined, make a list of everything you’d like to accomplish this year. Give yourself a year to do it all. If by March it feels like you haven’t gotten anywhere — who cares? You still have nine months to go!

It’s a whole new year. You were amazing last year, so imagine what this next twelve months, 52 weeks, 365 days, 8,760 hours will bring.

Happiest New Year,
Valerie

p.s. If you want more Happiness and Success in 2016, or to share some with someone you love, today is the best possible day to get or give the gift of the perfect book on the subject.

Three I recommend are:

1. Happiness as a Second Language, in print, ebook or audiobook,
2. Success as a Second Language, in print or ebook, and
3. How Women Can Succeed in the Workplace (Despite Having “Female Brains”), in print and ebook.