New Year - New You?

My dear friend Judy and I talked through the Decade Questions this morning. We were both amazed at all that's happened the past ten years. We discussed the hard times, the challenges - and imprinted the rewarding experiences and relationships that have enriched our life.

At the end of our Memory Lane conversation, we were both crystal clear about one thing.

Every decade, every year, every day is a blank canvas.

The question is, WHAT WILL WE DO WITH IT?

Will we reach out and connect with the people we love?

Will we make a difference? Contribute? Add value? Create beauty?

Will someone be better off because we saw them, listened to them, encouraged them, mentored them, held them accountable?

Will we show up in integrity? Do our best to model kindness, compassion, generosity?

Will we honor the gift of time by doing something to celebrate that day and be fully alive?

Will we do something that SHOWS we value our health, body, freedom of movement?

We're about to embark upon a new year.

We've all heard the sad statistics tha New Year's Resolutions "don't work."

In fact, 82% of them don't make it past the first week.

Maybe it's because they're idealistic, urealistic.

So let's not do that. Let's make promises that are "keep-able."

How about we promise to do ONE THING each day we're proud of, that feels right?

ONE THING that is in alignment with the quality of person we want to be.

I'll give an example.

I hung out with my son Tom, his wife Patty, their son Mateo and daughter Natalia (who wears her princess dress EVERYWHERE) on Christmas Day.

And when I say "hung out," that's exactly what we did.

The day before, we went to the Denver Museum of Nature and Science to explore the interactive Pixar Exhibit. We had a great time finding out what goes into making classics like Toy Story and Finding Nemo.

On Christmas Day though, we stayed home and "did nothing." Yet that nothing turned into the most meaningful somethings.

We wrestled, cuddled, tickled, played shark hide-and-seek, created handmade art with the ever-popular Play-Doh (invented in 1955 and still going strong), and snuggled under blankets and watched Toy Story with newfound appreciation.

You know one of the most memorable experiences of that "simple" day?

Teaching Mateo "lefty-loosey ... righty-tighty." He was trying to open a battery compartment on his new Buzz LightYear action figure, and was getting frustraed because it wouldn't open. So, I showed him the classic way to use a screwdriver - turn left to loosen the screw, turn right to tighten it.

You should have seen his eyes light up when he "got" it.

A "little" moment, right?

Actually, if there's anything I know for sure it's that, at the end of the day and at the end of our life, those little moments are the large moments.

As Nietzsche said, "The greatest events are not our loudest, but our stillest hours."

So, as we look ahead to 2020, let's not make sweeping resolutions we won't keep.

Let's instead resolve to do one LITTLE thing a day that feels ... right.

Those little things will accumulate into a life that feels ... right.

As Annie Dillard said, "How we live our days is, of course, how we live our life."

Here's to living days that feel right.

Here's to getting still and doing the little things that will matter in the long run ... now, not someday.

- - -

Sam Horn, CEO of the Intrigue Agency and 3 time TEDx speaker, - is on a mission to help people create a quality life-work thats add value for all involved. Her books have been featured in NY Times, on NPR and taught to Boeing, Intel, ASAE, Cisco, NASA.