New Year's Resolutions

[DMKarder]

Different Results Take Place When One Does Something Different.
This is the time good intensions are born; some flourish and many wither on the vine. No denying these are challenging times. Here is an interesting tidbit of information.
In aviation, attitude is generally defined relative to, pitch, roll and yaw angles. Attitude controls the altitude. Small alterations in attitude will greatly affect the course ahead.
Shared with many others, I have a degree in the school of life. Married 25 years to the same wonderful woman and raised two young men now in their twenties. We heard so much about the terrible two’s back then. I have learned that two is a starting point; however, there is no expiration date on that one. Time educated me that one little victory makes a big difference when recognized. Here is what I am getting at: Everything tends to become habit, same o, same o, is a commonly heard greeting response. I go to my favorite restaurant and order the same menu item each time. The relationship with my dear wife had developed into a daily routine rarely altered. Hold the course steady, must remain in our comfort zone.

That brings us to the New Year Resolution. I present to you some thoughts, seeds if you will, to string together a host of “one little victories.”
“I wanna lose weight!” Who has not said this year after year? This year, try it this way. Start with making one meal a day a balanced quality meal. There is no law that you have to eat everything, Mom may disagree, but portion reduction helps. You are taking a small step to forming a habit that will transform and grow.

Rekindle the flame: Commit to sprinkling notes into the day. Get creative; there were and still are, many ways to communicate outside the realm of electronic devices. The morning is a difficult time, trading a wonderful, soft, warm bed for a cup of coffee and the morning drive migration. A sticky note on the steering wheel can provide a smile that alters the day’s course. A rose held by the windshield wiper. Ok, here is a whopper: Thank you notes, yes, I said it. Plant seeds of concern and selflessness and watch love grow. All those “cute” things that got that individual to want to be at our sides.

No Cell Zone (NCZ) as in Time Zone: At home, designate a location, like a basket, silence and deposit each phone, make it an event.
• Designate all NCZ’s.
• Meals home and abroad
• Dates
• In the car, anytime where conversation replaces the addiction of electronics.

Family: Put the TV tables away; begin making a concerted effort to eat as a group at the table. Chances are there is a small investment of your hard-earned money in that dining set or kitchen nook. Turn of the TV, hibernate the computers and make dinner a team effort. Many of us work terrible hours, just try making this happen once a week. See the habit grow.

Stress Relief: Search “Day Trips,” Your working on changing the “routine.” There is a treasure of information out there from people who have already done it. Read reviews, hit the bookstores, authors have put great efforts into publishing day trip locations. Here is another whopper. “NCZ,” turn the cell phones off, emergency use only! Just thinking about this is relieving stress for me.

Make your own assessments, look to where you can make small adjustments. The little things matter. You may be amazed when the little victories begin to add up, and remember the smile is contagious. Before you know it, the seeds begin to grow.

“Un-complicate, loosen up, today is a new day if one can release yesterday to the winds.” DMK
HAPPY NEW YEAR, 2012!
Good Day, Eh!
[self-promotion removed by moderation]