40 Tips for a Powerful New Year

I know I mentioned in my last blog that I would talk about a pet peeve of mine that I've notice in college and pro football, but I read something today at school that speaks volumes to how we should rededicate ourselves this year. I found this in my mailbox this morning after a relaxing snow day yesterday (Any personal asides to these will be in parenthesis):

40 Tips for a Powerful New Year
1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate anti-depressant.
2. Sit in silence for at 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3. Buy a TIVO, tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement:
"My purpose is to _____________ today."
5. Live with the 3 E's: Energy, Enthusiasm, Empathy.
6. Watch more movies, play more games, and read more books than you did in 2007.
7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, qigong and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
8. Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6. (Not a problem- Ethan is 2 and I still have my grandparents to talk to.)
9. Dream more while you are awake.
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.
11. Drink green tea & plenty of water and eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
12. Try to make at least 3 people smile each day. (Being a teacher, that's easy- as long as they don't cross me!!)
13. Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime. (In my case algebra class never fades away...)
16. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
17. Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away. (I wonder just exactly who or what these energy vampires look like...)
18. Life isn't fair, but it's still good. (Someone please say that to my 8th-graders!!)
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20. Don't take yourself too seriously. No one else does.
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
23. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Forgive everyone everything.
28. What other people think of you is none of your business. (AMEN!!)
29. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
30. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
32. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful, or joyful. (All news about Britney Spears fits in perfectly with this one...)
33. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
34. The best is yet to come. (Where's Tony Bennett to sing this when we need him?!?!)
35. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
36. Do the right thing. (Somewhere Spike Lee is smiling at this one...)
37. Call your mother and father often. (I don't do this nearly enough as I should, I'm working hard on this one...)
38. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements:
"I am thankful for _________." "Today I accomplished ___________."
39. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed. (Another AMEN!!)
40. Enjoy the ride. Remembe that this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

I've read these tips at least five or six times today. I know I'm going to do my best to follow as many as I can, and I challenge you to do the same. Until next time...

Happy New Year!!

As today's blog happily implies- HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I hope everyone celebrated and made it home safe and sound. I also hope some of you were able to take in some of the vast amount of sporting events on TV yesterday. Despite the snow, sleet and freezing rain outside my window, much to my surprise, I was really looking forward to the 2008 NHL Winter Classic in Buffalo from the day I read about it on ESPN.com. Let's just say, as a rare hockey fan in these parts, I was happily pleased with how the game turned out. Although part of me wished I was there braving the elements with the other 71,000 fanatics, I was quite happy sitting in the comfort of my living room in my sweats eating clam chowder. Even though there were quite a few stoppages due to Mother Nature having her way, nothing could've ended this game better than a Sidney Crosby shootout goal to win for the Penguins. I give lots of credit to the NHL for making this happen and hope that they're able to stage one of these events yearly.
As a matter of fact, EJ Hradek from ESPN.com makes an interesting suggestion in his blog today (http://insider.espn.go.com/espn/blog/index?entryID=3177176&name=hradek_ej): "Let's scrap the All-Star Game, which is a silly event for any sport that includes physical contact. In its place, let's schedule an annual Winter Classic. If they don't want to play it on New Year's Day, why not schedule it for the weekend between the NFL conference championship games and the Super Bowl? It could be a Winter Classic weekend. You can plan on playing Saturday afternoon with Sunday available as a bad weather makeup date.
Each season, you could have different teams in different venues. For example, I've always wanted to see a hockey game in Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park or Wrigley Field. There are a lot of great cities and memorable venues to choose from." I must say that I agree with this 100%. While I enjoy watching the skills challenge (which could still happen in this proposed concept), I'd rather watch a game being played in the elements, just like the players used to do before the sport became their profession, than watch players try to escape injury, play soft, and run the score up in a meaningless all-star game. This is definitely a brilliant idea that someone should get the ball rolling on.
As I get ready to wrap up this latest blog, I'm catching the tail end of what's been another BCS blowout (currently 48-28 West Virginia in the 4th quarter). I have to give it to the BCS for choosing "worthy" competitors so far- in three BCS games, including tonight, the closest margin is the game that's on right now- and that's 20 points and counting!! I sincerely hope that the last two BCS games have a closer result than the first three, otherwise this year's most important bowls will have done nothing but solidify the blatantly obvious fact that there needs to be a playoff system implemented. There's no telling what would happen if you put USC up against Georgia or West Virginia, or other teams that deserved a BCS bid and got hosed. Anyway, we've got a booth review, which is my cue to call it a night. I'll share my thoughts about another disheartening trend I've noticed in my next blog. Until next time...