Pause and Refresh: 3 Questions to Ponder for 2014

As usual, January has begun with a frenzy of resolution writing (notice the crowds at the gym, the health food stores, the job boards) and goal setting. There are articles and advice galore on what you SHOULD be doing in 2014 – trends to watch for, wagons to climb aboard, old habits to cast away.

Well, I’ve got a different idea. Just stop, take a breath and pause for a minute. Think about the fact that you have a year-full of blank pages that you get to fill. It’s YOUR book. No one else’s. How will you write it? As Maria Shriver said in her commencement address at Annenberg College last year, use “The Power of the Pause.”

So…get yourself a cup of coffee or tea or whatever your favorite beverage is, put work and everything else on “pause” for a bit, and ask yourself these three questions:

1. What do I want to do this year that has nothing to do with work? Take that vacation you’ve been putting off? Attend more of your kids’ sports activities? Be a tourist in your own town?
2. If today were your last day on earth, what would you want to be remembered for? If the only thing you can come up with is work-related, go back to Question 1.
3. What makes you smile? And how will you write more of that into your book this year?

Last year, I lost a very dear friend way too early. It reminded me that life is fragile, and that you need to capture the moments – in experiences and relationships – in real time. Most of us spend so much time trying to rewrite the past or plan for the future that we miss the magical moments in the here and now.  We need to be living our lives and taking good care of ourselves. Every moment. Every day.

“It’s a brand new day. Live in the now, it will be gone before you know it.” – Rodger Halston

Till next time,

Karen