I am not big on resolutions, mainly because I resolve to work on myself and help others do the same for pretty much 365 days per year, and I know I am certainly not alone.  However, I do think that a new year marks a time of reflection.  And, I’d like to propose a new way of reflecting (for some).  I don’t need to quote any stats here, we all know that New Year’s resolutions are probably the worst fulfilled prophecy around.  Thus, don’t buy into the hype and instead think about any small steps you made toward positive movement and alterations.  Life is difficult enough, thus — first and foremost, keep it simple, no grand gestures necessary, and when you reflect back on the year 2011, compare it to 2010 and ask yourself:

1.  In what way did you show up differently in your environment & world? 
2.  How did you relate to your environment and those around you that is an improved effort?
3.  Where do you fit in individually in the bigger picture of what is your surroundings, your  community, your office, and the world at large?
4.   During the season of ‘giving’ – what did you truly give?  Beyond monetary and physical  matter, how did you give of yourself to others?
5.  What did you take this year and how have you honored and utilized the opportunity to    be the taker? 

Here are some examples of things you may have done and I know some of you have, but I also know that you all have tons more examples, so please comment and share.  We’ve worked hard the last couple of months to offer an improved, streamlined, and simplified website with interactive abilities to support all of you in a more open, engaging, and ‘giving’ oriented dialogue.

Running the gambit of intentions… some ways you may have tweaked your behavior this year:

• Used your position and expertise to help grow another professional
• Referred someone you respect for something you thought would be a good fit
• Mentored someone
• Given advice with the full ability of your intellectual capital
• Attended to being a more engaging manager
• Improved your listening skills
• Paid greater attention to detail
• Developed a team member in a way that surprised them
• Had less of a carbon footprint
• Thought about those who have supported you and simply acknowledge them
• Remembered the philanthropic and charitable causes that are dear to you
• Gave of your time in any way

And now, resolve to do more of the same or attend to some more tweaking.  Please share your thoughts on our blog or through twitter… @linesexcellence

“Whatever relationships you have attracted in your life at this moment, are precisely the ones you need in your life at this moment. There is a hidden meaning behind all events, and this hidden meaning is serving your own evolution.” 
? Deepak Chopra

I don’t know about you, but at the end of the day, Tiger is still the golf genius child-protégé he was to me a few months before all the scandal. Really, how many of us actually care about his ‘issues’ with remaining loyal to his wife. I know, many of you are probably aghast at what I (a woman!) am saying right now. However, the truth is the truth. We’re not mad at his recent apology because we think he hasn’t suffered enough for his wrongdoing, we’re mad because deep in the depths of our psyche we know that once he gets back to focusing on the game, we will all, once again, be enthralled with this genius of a player. End of story, enough said, hope all that personal life stuff of his works out. So why all the hoopla?

It’s a simple distraction, and an entertaining one at that. It’s also the tale of a mistake, maybe a big one, maybe a small one, time will tell (I err on the side of the later). We think that in order to succeed, we need to avoid making mistakes. This could not be farther from the truth. In fact, mistakes are a wonderful thing. They cause pause. They encourage us to reevaluate and rethink. They enable us to review what might be missing and how we can fill in and improve the next time around. Mistakes bring us back to our motivational behavior that encouraged the activity or venture in the first place.

And in some cases, we learn exponentially from the mistakes of others. The Olympics are the most awesome example of exactly that – motivation that spurs from mistakes. If anyone saw Apolo Ohno take home a bronze medal in the men’s 1,000 meter short track over the weekend you know just what I mean. Oh the sight, with Ohno whipping into 3rd position seconds before the finish and the announcer most appropriately stating “you’ve got to wait for the mistake and then make your move.”

Make your moves, learn from your mistakes, and certainly learn from the mistakes of others.