Make It Great In 08

I've come to love short sayings that embody big ideas. Those who hear me say my favorites over and over find it annoying usually because it's something they need to acknowledge. John Maxwell is great at turning these phrases like "sooner or later you get what you expect." Another favorite of mine is "you gotta start doing what's right, while it still feels wrong," authored by Joyce Meyers. During this Christmas season, I started saying "make it great in 08."

For me, the last quarter of 07 and especially the last half of December were very eventful. I moved home with Maggie, now seven, and two large cats, Meshak and Sally finally closing a 2000 mile divide between me and home. Fifteen years flew by just like they do for us all after about age 16. I spent some of those years working to finish my masters degree, some trying to get into a relationship and some trying to get out of one. There were some years that it was just about hanging on to sanity. Overall, the last seven have been blessed with the lessons of living with and caring for a child. What I began to see in the last few years is that they come and go quickly regardless of what you are doing or your attitude.

I also know now that we are here to "make it great." Our purpose is to make it great for each other and for those to follow. Just pause and think about the people you know who used their lives to make something great. We each have a part to play. The greatest gift we can give ourselves and others is to pursue our own brand of greatness. Even small efforts toward positive change (I had to use the word change since it's all the rage with the candidates) have impact. The Bowen Theory, well known by counselors, developed by psychiatrist Murry Brown shows that when one member of a system changes something it impacts all the others. The concept is cousin to "a rising tide floats all boats," when the change is a healthy one.

When I tell you to "make it great in 08," I mean take advantage of the new beginning offered by the calendar. Set your resolve. Make this the year that you go ahead and pursue your vision, repair old hurts, correct bad behaviors, really get in shape, take the course or whatever it is that keeps hanging around the corners of your mind. Most of all though love in the verb form. Show love from the mundane to the profound. "And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love, you make" (Golden Slumbers, Beatles).

Learn about Bowen Theory at http://www.thebowencenter.org/theory.html
Find Beatles lyrics at http://3w.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/The-Beatles-lyrics/B295EAD4908586F94825699D00291C62