Ctrl-Alt-Delete

I love this time of year!

It’s not because of Christmas, or presents, or all the holiday-specific food and treats. It’s not because I get to spend time with friends and family. And it’s not because I get to take time off of work.

Those are all good things, and I’m grateful for them, for sure!
But it’s because at midnight on December 31st (or about 10:30, which is my more realistic bedtime), I get to hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete on my year.
I get to reset and wipe the slate clean.

It’s not that this past year has been all bad. It hasn’t! But, there are some goals I didn’t “knock out of the park.” Then there are some goals I never even set. And the new year is reminding me it’s time to be conscious and deliberate about what I want for 2012!

What do you want? What are you “re-booting” this January 1st?

How are YOU?

Two weeks ago at the beginning of a phone call with a client, I asked the culturally normal conversation opener, “How are you?” To which he replied, as he always does, “Excellent.”

I paused more than just a moment.

“Can I ask you a question?” I said, feeling envious of his consistently “abundant” mood.

“Sure,” was his response.

“Are you always ‘excellent’ – or is that just an automatic response, whether you feel it or not?”

His response back, “Listen, Nancy, every morning when I open my eyes and my feet hit the floor, I’m grateful to have the chance to live another day and improve on yesterday. I live in a great country. I have a great job. And I have a wonderful life and four beautiful children. How could I NOT feel excellent?!”

I’ve thought about this every day since then, and with the new year approaching, what a great outlook to have for 2012.

Thanks, Dear Client. You know who you are.