What Does The New Year Bring?

Did you write a list of New Year's resolutions? Were your thoughts about what you want/need/wish to accomplish with a clean fresh year ahead of you?

Many people use the new year as a time to set goals and challenge themselves. Losing weight, quitting smoking, eating healthier are often resolutions that people make.

But what if you believed that 2008 would be your last year on this planet? What if you only had 365, 364, 63, 62....days to go? What would your resolutions for 2008 be then?

Dr. Bernie Siegel comments in his book "Prescriptions for Living" that he often hears people saying things like "When I am 40 I will travel more," "When I am retired I will spend more time with my grandchildren," "When the kids are all grown I am going to start painting again." His answer to statements like these is "Why Wait?" What wait to do these things you obviously want to do? Why not do them now?

Dr. Siegel works with cancer patients. He sees and hears the "if only I would have" and the "I wish I could have" or "I should have done." If there is something you want to do, something you want to change in your life now is the time to do it.

You've heard the question - If you only had one day to live or knew the world would end tomorrow, where would you want to be or what would you want to do? A question like this speaks to our core values as human beings. You never here someone say "If the world is going to end tomorrow I better get the dishes done."

So - here we are with 2008 and the opportunity to make decisions to do things now that we have always said we would do "some day."

"Someday" is not a day of the week on the calendar. It is not a holiday like Valentine's Day or St. Patrick's Day. Some day does not exist. All we have is this day.

Live your life as if it is your last day on earth. Let those you love know you love them. Be the person you have always wanted to be. Take steps towards your dreams whether its travel, retirement, more time with the grandkids or creating space to paint.

There is another corny saying that goes "You know why we call right now the present? Because each day is a gift." And that gift is something you can give to yourself.

Each day is a gift. Just ask someone faced with a diagnosis of cancer. Every day, every breath has become more precious then those before.

Often cancer survivors comment about the changes they made in their life when they were diagnosed. One survivor said "Before I had cancer I never would have thought about shortening my hours at work. Now I work limited hours so I can enjoy my family and I make time for travel with my husband."

So - share. What is it you have always wanted to do or have on that list of "some days"? What is stopping from doing it now?