The New Year is coming! The New Year is coming! Quick, write down all of your resolutions, clean your house and cook some black-eyed peas!

I’m sure all sorts of rituals are going on in homes around the world in accordance with the coming of the new year. Depending on cultural and adopted norms, 2011 success or failure hinges on the completion of these yearly traditions.

While cooking a “good-luck” meal, kissing your loved one at the stroke of midnight or making sure you have your plans for the year firmed up are fun to do, we shouldn’t beat ourselves up if we haven’t done these things.

Every year we are given is a blessing and we have each day to craft the year the way we want to. I don’t believe in writing resolutions at the start of the year because this is something I do all year long. I’m always modifying my personal and professional goals. Drafting goals should be something that calms us and fills us with positive anticipation, not fear or dread. I think a lot of people start the year off stressed out because they feel pressured to do all of the “right” things in January.

So to lighten the load of having to fulfill New Year’s Resolutions, I’ve decided to cook up some monthly inspirational nuggets to edify you all year long! In thinking about things that make us happy, I’ve created a menu filled with elements, flowers, gems and a touch of magic to help keep us all on track for the whole year.

To start, here are some Jewels for January:

• Begin the day with a prayer or meditation. It will set the tone for success and give you the positive punch you need.
• Be active. Whether it’s a 30 minute workout, boxing class or roller skating session, getting and staying fit is good for your heart and mind. If you can’t afford a gym membership, walk around your neighborhood. You might just discover an interesting treasure or two.
• Do something new or different each week. It can be speaking to someone at work you hardly interact with, or going to a networking event or simply listening to music from a new artist. The key is to keep your brain fresh! Being bored can make us do some crazy things!

Stay tuned each month for more of these inspirational appetizers and feel free to share your own. A successful year is achieved with smiles, deep breaths, hard work, great connections, creativity and positivity. Be blessed and have a wonderful 2011!

Okay, okay…. Just for the traditionalists, here is a bowl of Black-Eyed Peas. An old-school helping though. 😉

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