At times we find ourselves feeling like we’re caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place in life. Things aren’t going the way we want, and there doesn’t seem to be any escape. We’re putting up with stuff we know we shouldn’t, but we do anyway. We convince ourselves that it isn’t that bad and that we just have to stick it out until the end of the day or month, until we meet the right guy, our next vacation, our boss sees value in us or we find a new job, etc. If you find the voice in your head is saying any of these kinds of things, that’s a bad sign and you need to get out now.

Are you tired of seeing and hearing about people who are doing extraordinary things while you continue to sit at the same desk answering the same questions and going home to watch the same televisions shows? They’re the ones with all the amazing stories; full of life where everything seems to be awesome. Meanwhile, you get more bitter, frustrated and cynical. What you need is a shot of big thinking. Big thinking is exactly what that – big thoughts or ideas, that seem outrageous and crazy. They’re the type of ideas that you currently preclude with the words, ‘if only’. Those two words have to be the saddest words in the English language when combined together, so lets never use them again.

Saying, ‘I apologize’ is not the same as saying, ‘I’m sorry’, but yet it has become the new standard. It’s one more thing in a long list of things in our cultures shift to a diminished personal responsibility. As kids we’re taught by our parents to say, ‘sorry’ when we wrong another person, but do we really understand and feel the apology? I say no, which is why as we grew up the word ‘apologize’ replaced the word ‘sorry’. We usually know when we wrong another person, which is why we apologize, but we don’t actually feel the sorry, so we’ve stopped saying it.

As I watched the ball drop in Time Square to usher in a New Year and new decade, I was struck with excitement and joy for the coming year. And as tradition goes, it was time to make some New Year’s Resolutions. It’s human nature to want to start the year off hopeful for creating a better future, but midnight on New Year’s Eve, amongst celebrators and good times, is not the most effective time to create a solid plan for your future. Let’s do ourselves a huge favour this year and not make any New Year’s Resolutions at the stroke of midnight: I bet they haven’t worked in the past so why would you do something that hasn’t worked before? That is the definition of insanity.