January 2010 Pres Letter “The Fine Art of Balancing Your New Year’s Resolution”

Dear Members of the GBBC and GLBT Community:

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2010!!! 

How could I not start this month’s newsletter off without saying this first, after all this is the time of year that we stop and reflect on the old year leaving us and all things that were good or bad.  Somehow the New Year brings rebirth, new opportunity and a chance to forget the past and the hope that another 365 days just might be better.  We are all excited about this chance for better health, prosperity and blissful relationships, but aren’t we basically setting ourselves up to fail before we even begin?  Just seconds after our resolutions are set to begin, we frequently find ourselves falling short, not meeting our personal goals.

What I have always proposed for myself is to not even think about what I want in the New Year but to think about what I could have done better in the prior year.  If I can learn a lesson from my mistake, then I can only blame myself for repeating them again the following year.  Once I completed my self-evaluation (and hope that my list of mistakes are short and minor) I can now create a list of obtainable goals I would like to see myself complete and know I have the potential to achieve…but first I need to have balance…it’s all about the balance.  To quote Boston Globe columnist Ellen Goodman:

“We spend January 1st walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.  Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.”  ~Ellen Goodman

These words say so much…don’t be so critical of yourself; don’t look for flaws that will only help you fail but instead look for the potential for success and the opportunities that you can go after.  I have adopted this attitude towards resolutions (sort of an “anti-resolution” theory I have) and decided to concentrate my time and energy on achieving realistic, meaningful, obtainable goals that can benefit many people. 

I don’t ever wish…
…to win the lottery (although it would be nice)
…to solve world hunger (although that would be nice also)
…to broker world peace (although that would be nice too).

But instead I decided to aim to achieve what I can such as…
…work harder and smarter to earn a little bit more so I can help someone in need
…eat less and give more to those in need (this has two benefits since we all want to be healthy)
…hold open a door to give someone a sense of kindness among people in the world

Maybe, instead of us all being concerned with what we eat, drink or do between Christmas and New Years, we should be more concerned with what we do between New Years and Christmas.

Happy New Years!!!  May your resolutions be balanced, meaningful and obtainable to match your potential!


Warmest regards,

Ed Travers
President