I'm dedicating today's show to my colleague and friend Angie Mozilo as she reminded me that being happy is an art, a choice made daily. Angie shared that "we must enjoy life and find happiness in where we are instead of always running towards it believing it's a destination. Happiness is a choice; not a destination." 

Let's choose to be happy today. Think of one thing that you have that makes you happy. Take a minute to focus on that and really appreciate it. And going foward, each and every day, simply say to yourself "today I choose to be happy." In doing so, you'll bring more happiness into your life, and you'll be more likely to focus on what you do have and what makes you happy. Remember, it's a choice. Choose to Be Happy Now! 

Today, pick one thing you do that takes up a good portion of your time that you know isn’t serving you. If what you're doing isn’t helping you, it is absolutely taking away from your success. Think about something you can give up in the short term to help you achieve the success you want and deserve. Remember, it requires compromises and sacrafices. Success always comes at a price. The best part is that you can choose your price... just be sure and willing to pay that price... for your success!

I'll be the first to admit that at times I am listening to develop my next response. Today, let's take a moment to remind ourselves to listen to understand. We all want to have the power of influence, build trust, and connect with others. To accomplish this, we must work to be great listeners; listeners who seek to understand before seeking to respond. 

Here are some simple steps to practice being a great listener: 

1. Clear your mind with intention and be fully present

2. Let go of any expectation

3. Let go of any chatter in your mind that wants to reply

4. Let go of any judgement about what is being spoken

5. Let go of any assumptions that you understand 

When the person is done speaking, clarify what you heard by repeating back to them their words, ask clarifying questions to remove assumptions and ensure you truly understand, and then let there be a moment of silence to let their words and message sink in before you ultimately respond.

Let's do our part to "Listen to Understand" today. 

A I suggested to my client, here's what you can do to create some excitement towards achieving your next goal. Write a future letter to yourself. Write in the state of mind that you have completed your goals for the next 3 months, 6 months, or whatever your timeframe is. This will help you to embody and imagine what it will feel like when you complete your goals.

Listen to my example letter, and see how I congratulate myself and talk about how proud I am that I have completed the specific goals I set out to complete.

Do this powerful exercise for yourself. Allow this letter to remind you what it will look and feel like to complete those goals. See and be your future first; gain that clarity, gain that confidence and excitement. Write your future letter so that you simply increase the chances of it happening... significantly!

Most of life we cannot control. We can control our actions, thoughts, emotions and reactions. However, we have no control over most of what happens to us and other people. Remember to tell yourself the serenity prayer when you feel out of control and/or trying to control people, places and things. Life becomes peaceful when we accept the things we cannot change. When we have the courage to change the things we can, typically ourselves, life becomes more meaningful and magical. And, we simply feel good about ourselves when we have the wisdom to know the difference.

Whenever we are chasing something big, there is always going to be resistance and fear. The antagonist will always rear it's head. Even when we are doing great, there will always be peaks and valleys. Expect it. Embrace it. It's part of the journey to achieving anything great. Whenever this happens, simply remember why you started, create and revisit your why list daily, and accept that resistance, obstacles, fear and the antagonist combined with making mistakes and failures, are all part of the process and plan. Keep going, overcome, and no matter what, don’t quit before the miracle happens. 

This New Year gives us the gift of more than 525,600 minutes. Many of us say we "don't have enough time", but for this next year, as with all other ones, we all get the same amount of time- about 525,600 minutes. What we do with the gift of these minutes determines the quality of our life, the level of our happiness, the value of the memories we create and the difference we can make in the world. 

Our lives are determined by how we choose to live our 525,000 minutes each year. Minutes spent stressed or worrying are wasted. Fear not only kills our dreams, it also diminishes our minutes without providing productive results. None of our unused minutes can be saved as "rollover" minutes for the next year. None can be given to others and unused ones will be lost forever. When we look at our minutes from this perspective, it helps us realize the gift we've been given.

Today, in this very moment, you have the chance to start anew. Embrace the moment, be grateful for the opportunities and truly celebrate the moments of your life. A new year filled with more than 525,000 minutes is waiting for you. Invest them well. Make each one of them count. Have a blessed New Year!

If you are holding onto something, try these easy steps: 

1. Ask yourself -  what is the lesson here?

2. Let go

3. Focus on the "Next Shot"

Every golfer has to focus shot by shot because if they don’t, they will carry one bad shot into the next one. In life, just as in golf, we must solely focus on that next shot while letting go of the previous one. In doing so, we increase our ability to be present, gain extreme focus and make a great "Next Shot". 

You were given a life that you are strong enough to live. First, be grateful for everything that you do have. Then, make the decision that you will do the best with what you have and always stay strong. Remember, you only get what you can handle - You Are Strong Enough to Truly Live Your Life!

Living is all about the 6 inches in front of your face! Be willing to fight for each of those inches. Live your life one inch at time. After all, when you add up all those inches, that's the difference between winning and losing, between living and dying. And, if we're going to have any life anyomore, it's because we're willing to fight for that inch. That's life... that's all it is! Don't give up, fight your way out of the darkness and into the light... one inch at a time, one day at a time. LIFE IS A GAME OF INCHES!