Resolute

The year was 1991. I just turned eight years old. One of the gifts I received was my first and only diary, which ultimately proved to indeed be a gift. As you can see, I put it to use on day one, by creating a list of five (5) resolutions. Little would I or anyone else know what was in store for my family and me that year and how important it would be to have an outlet through which a ultra-sensitive kid like myself could express my feelings.

There was the palpable strife between my parents that ultimately led to their divorce, my brother being unexpectedly hospitalized for several weeks at a hospital that was an hour away, my great-grandmother, with whom we were very close and saw regularly, passing away, my cousin tragically dying at 10 months old from complications during childbirth that left him deaf, blind, and eventually mute. I struggled with that one in particular, as I couldn't make sense how babies and children could die. Needless to say, it was an emotionally charged time and my diary played a critical role in my attempts to acknowledge and process what I was experiencing.

To this day, I try to stick to those resolutions, which I refer to every year since having rediscovered the diary in 2017. Apparently, even with only a few years of life experience, I was on to something. Harvard professor, best-selling author, happiness trainer, and PhD, Arthur Brooks, says that happiness is a function of enjoyment, satisfaction, and purpose. He recommends that we focus on strengthening what he refers to as the Four Pillars, which include: family, faith, friends, and work, rather than chase money, power, pleasure, admiration, or approval.

If you know anything about child development, which I do most than most, as the daughter of a preschool founder and director, you'd know that eight can be a special year. It is the time when your young child starts to become a big kid. It is referred to as middle childhood, and a time of growth physically, mentally, and emotionally. They are noticeably becoming more independent and mature, with an ability to show genuine empathy for others and put others first.

Armed with my dairy, a Harvard professor's insights, and some textbook psychology, it sounds like we can learn a lot from kids, even if those kids were us...

Hope 2024 finds you happier, healthier, fulfilled, and resolute.

Sara Greenhouse is a dynamic connector and dedicated relationship cultivator. After a successful track record in fundraising, she founded a marketing company, Generate Buzz, LLC, in 2013. Using her superior verbal and written communication skills, the company provides a unique, cross-disciplinary integration of traditional and digital marketing. The name Generate Buzz is much more than simply a brand name; it declares Sara's passion to help small businesses achieve greater success and promote positive social change. Generate Buzz, LLC offers per diem consulting in copywriting: persuasive, creative, and comedy, as well as editing and proofing services. You can rest assured that your message will be tailored to your collateral materials and social media platforms, conveying the right message, to the right audience, through the right channels, at the right time, all with the utmost integrity and enthusiasm.

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