December 31, 2023: Making the New Year Brighter
December 31, 2023: Making the New Year Brighter
Identifying Core Beliefs and Living with Gratitude
“Luck is believing you’re lucky.”
- Tennessee Williams
Today is the busiest resolution-making day there is. And then, hopefully, tomorrow is the busiest resolution-doing day of the year. The problem for many of us is keeping the optimism and momentum of a new year alive each day after that.
Today’s New Year’s message is about gratitude, hope, and optimism.
Author, positive mindset, and leadership thought leader Jon Gordon has a great “one word challenge” to pick and live “one word” in 2024. Each of us has our own methods to come to our plans to make next year better (see the bottom of this message for tips and ideas, including a pro-tip on starting your day with the Success Hotline!).
I am lucky. In 2022, I wanted to practice a habitude (habit+attitude) of gratitude, thanking those I am fortunate to have in my life. So, I resolved to write a hand-written thank you note each day of the year. Sending handwritten notes carries extra-special meaning. It also has a rebound effect. You don’t express gratitude for the positive feeling it gives you, although it does, and you don’t do it just because it’s the right thing to do. I expressed gratitude each day in the hope it would make another person’s day better … and that’s exactly what a handwritten note can do for the receiver. For the sender, it helps us focus on the positive and what’s good in life.
In 2023, I resolved to publish and share Chasing Influence. I closed my introduction saying if the book helped just one person, coach, or team meet their purpose … one that extends far beyond competition … then Chasing Influence would have been a success.
As we close 2023 and look to an even better 2024, I am grateful for so many of you who have shared how Chasing Influence has made a positive difference in your life - thank you!
This coming year, I will develop and practice Core Beliefs. Each day, I will:
1. Read the list.
2. Rewrite the list.
3. Recite the list (with emotion)***.
What are your Core Beliefs? You can do anything!
What will you do in 2024 to make yourself and this world better? A challenge from me to you: spread gratitude and joy. Create a habit of intentionally saying “thank you.” Take the time to say thanks using good old-fashioned pen and paper via US mail. There’s something about getting something in the mail that makes it more meaningful — I think this is why I love going to the mailbox to retrieve others’ holiday greetings each winter!
So many people have made a lasting, positive, significant impact on our lives. Thank those people who have made an impact in your life by bringing joy to their lives. You never want to say “I missed my chance.”
Don’t miss your chance. Capture every moment of 2024 and make the most of it, whether those moments are big, small, fast, or slow.
Happy New Year!
"Hope gives us courage to do things we never thought possible."
- Glenn Seefeldt
This week’s Chasing Influence tip: To live out this year’s resolutions, here are some ideas:
I love to start my day by calling Dr. Rob Gilbert’s message on the Success Hotline! 973.743.4690
Recruit a friend to help hold you accountable for your resolution/goals
Start your day by “eating the frog” (my best days are when I start the day exercising)
Plan your day—start each day with a 3-0 count—never begin
a day with two strikes against you! Make a list, prioritize it, and set out to complete it!
Jon Gordon gives a great list of 21 Tips for a Positive New Year here.
Update on Chasing Influence
Chasing Influence will be available as an Audiobook in mid-January.
Chasing Influence: Transformational Coaching to Build Champions for Life is available in Kindle, softcover, and hardcover editions (with an Audiobook on the way!).
A series of three Chasing Influence workbooks are now available! Each workbook contains 33 lessons to use with any team.
For additional resources, links to podcast appearances, and other Chasing Influence news, click here.
[***] Thank you, Dr. Rob Gilbert!
[2] ©Troy Urdahl, 2023