 A
Note From Mary
Happy
New Year! I love January because it
offers a fresh start. With memories of
the holiday behind us, we can look ahead
to the promise of a new year.
And this year does, in fact, hold
promise. What’s ahead for you? More of
the same? Or is there a hope or dream or
goal you’d like to pursue?
When I was 25, I was in a seminar when
the facilitator asked, “What’s the one
thing you would do if you knew you would
not fail?” She asked to write our
answers down without censoring them. I
wrote, “Write a book.”
It took me over a decade to find the
time and figure out how to make that
dream come true. But I can tell you, it
was worth the wait.
What’s on your heart? What are your
hopes for this year? The very best thing
about life in this country is that we
truly do have the power to write our own
story and influence the ending. So
what’s holding you back? It’s worth
taking the time to honestly answer that
question and then to figure out what you
can do about it.
What’s the one thing you would do if you
knew you would not fail? Don’t censor
your answer. Write it down. And make it
happen.
All the best,
Mary Byers
Prioritize!
Another
great thing about a new year is that
it’s a perfect time to reevaluate your
priorities. As the mom of two, I can
tell you that as your children age, your
priorities change. When my kids were
preschool age, my goal was simply to get
through the day! Now my goal is to be a
good listener and to be available when
they are ready to talk. I’m also
committed to creating pockets of family
time so that we’re building closeness
for the teen years ahead.
Personally, I find January is an
excellent time let go of projects I
hoped to get done last year and didn’t.
In fact, I just sent an e-mail this
morning resigning from a task I really
shouldn’t have said yes to to begin
with. (Yes, even The No Queen
occasionally lets the word “Yes” slip
out of her mouth when she shouldn’t!)
I’ve also set aside a morning this week
to answer this question for me and my
family:
What’s the
one thing that will make the biggest
difference if I were to do it over the next year?
I plan to answer this question for both
my personal and professional life. You
might consider doing so as well. It’s a
powerful question—and your answer(s) may
surprise you. I’d love to hear what you
come up with. After you’ve done this
exercise, would you e-mail me at
mbyers@marybyers.com
and let me know what you’ll be working
on this year? I may share some of what I
hear in an upcoming newsletter. (I
promise only to use your first name if I
include your response.) Wouldn’t it be
fun to know what each other is working
on in 2008?
Narrowing the Focus
I’m taking
my own advice this year. Since I talk a
lot about simplifying and streamlining
life, I’ve decided to more actively look
for ways to practice these concepts in
my business. One way I’m doing that is
to combine my three websites into one.
I’ve started that process and am working
with a great team to make that happen.
I’ll likely have a new site to show you
by March at the latest. I’m also
combining two e-zines into one and will
be introducing a new design this spring.
Thanks for your patience as I work
through these changes.
Food for Thought
“I already have plans” is a simple way
to say no to requests for your time and
talents. Those plans might be to spend
some time alone or not to commit
to anything else. Both are valid and
should not make you feel guilty.
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January 2008
Lightening the Load
eZine published by Mary Byers, Author of
The Mother Load
Table of Contents
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