The Balanced Life, Huntsville Alabama

Happy New Year all!!! I have the privilege of providing you all with the first TBL blog of 2018. Many of us are fully pursuing resolutions to improve ourselves and our circumstances. Listed below are a few tips to help you meet all of your goal in 2018. Let’s dive right in, shall we?

Ah, it’s that time again…New Year’s Resolutions! It seems most of us can be divided into two camps- those who have given up on even setting any resolutions each year, because, well, we often don’t stick to them beyond January 15^th or so. And the other camp- those who continue to ambitiously establish a slew of goals for the new year that go to the way side by January 15, even despite our good intentions.

Most of the time, I feel very grounded and centered. I take things in stride. I feel my emotions but I don’t tend to get carried away by them. I don’t sweat the small stuff. But, one day recently, I wasn’t able to do this.

“Without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable.” –William Pollard

Sometimes, it's just better to let someone who's experienced something powerful share that experience first hand rather than try to say it for them, so that's what I'm doing (with permission, of course) today for my blog post.

     In a recent interview, the famous Tom Brady spoke these inspirational words, “As you get older, your life changes quite a bit.  Your life ebbs and flows; through the clouds and through the sun and through the rain and through the beautiful days.  And you appreciate the moments and you find joy in the little things.”

By: Dana Hampson, LPC-S, BCC

Each January, Runner’s World magazine (of which I am a subscriber) puts out their annual New Year, New You edition to kick the year off right. It’s chock full of articles and advice meant to motivate and inspire would-be runners to run and for experienced runners to take it to the next level, whatever that might be for each person. I like reading it. Sometimes I find something new and interesting. Since I’ve been running for over a decade now, most of the stuff I already know but it’s a good refresher. What it really does for me is encourages thought about what I’d like to do better as a runner, how I can improve in the next year, what I’ve done up until this point and what’s still on my bucket list to accomplish in the future.

As we end the year 2015 and look forward to a new year in 2016, I can’t help but reflect on this past year and think about what went well, goals I achieved, and what did not. We all know that many people set New Year’s resolutions only to have them fail and fizzle out by the end of January. I know I’ve done that a time or two. I read this morning that goals fail for two reasons: fear of failure and lack of motivation. If I want to earn a college degree, thinking about it isn’t going to get the degree, registering for the first class is. Or if I want to be healthier, sitting on the couch thinking about it and feeling guilty is not going to get me there, exercise and healthier eating is.

Is the phrase “good stress” an oxymoron? Or, can a time-limited amount of stress allow us to experience growing pains and learn to be flexible, roll with resistance, and stretch our limitations into a more expanded comfort zone?

Many elementary schools have a leadership program that is based on the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.The book published in 1989 by Stephen Covey has been an international best-seller for years, selling over 25 million copies worldwide.

For the first time in many years, we did not have a child starting school on the first day of school in our district because our youngest graduated in May.  This was a strange feeling for me and one that brought many emotions, from excitement for the next phase and a little sadness because this phase is over.  I tend to be sentimental and nostalgic by nature and enjoy reflecting on the phases of life and how the passage of time brings change and today, I will share some of those thoughts with you.

I spent this past weekend in one of my favorite Southern cities, Charleston, SC. I haven't been there in several years and was so excited to be back. I love history and Charleston practically oozes it. From the gorgeous homes to the cobblestone streets to the beautiful waterfront, it's a place all history buffs should visit in their lifetime. I went there to run a half marathon and had a great race on Saturday. The weather was perfect, I felt great, and ran well. As I ran along during the race, I marvelled not only at the amazing architercture and scenery but also the resilience of this city. In the mid 1800's alone, it endured multiple fires, an earthquake and the Civil War.  I thought about the story of Charleston and how it's grown and changed over the last two hundred plus years. It's history is tainted with the terrible atrocity of slavery and the years of struggle for equality and fairness. Yet, it has remained a testament to resilience and rebirth. I see the power of perserverance and opportunity every time I visit.