It has been about a year since you were last thinking about all the good things you were going to do in the upcoming 12 months. As usual, you had high hopes for the year ahead of you, and I recall that you actually blew all of your resolutions within the first 10 days of the new year. That is not to say you had a bad year overall, only that you certainly did not live up to your potential. Luckily, your relatively weak showing over the last 365 days will allow you the opportunity to make a good showing in 2012 without an enormous amount of effort.
I think it is first important to remember what it is that is really important in your life. It is not the things you have or the cases you win that make you a success, but rather the people that are in your life. Winning every case and having every toy is of little value if you do not have people to share your life with. The people that care about you don’t care about those things, and the only person that is keeping score is you.
Once you get over yourself when weighing what is important, you have to remember that, in order to get those extra things that you want and to have the success you crave, you have to get off your butt and go after them. Few things of value fall into your lap as you take a nap under a tree. You must also remember that, when chasing the things you crave, the chase is often the best part. When you get what you want, you often find that it is not all you thought it was going to be.
That leads us to a lesson that seems to be lost on you year after year. Try to enjoy what you have instead of always looking for something else in every situation. There is no rule that everything has to be perfect. The trick is to be satisfied with what you have instead of spending all of your time worrying about what you don’t have.
Next, try to get more exercise and burn more calories than you take in. The math is pretty simple. Just because you are hungry and can still eat more does not mean you should.
I realize that we have talked about every one of these things many times in the past. Just remember your favorite saying: Knowing and not doing is the same as not knowing. Why don’t you step up and act like you know something, and we won’t have to have this conversation next year?
Finally, remember that what Patti says is usually correct. You could do a lot worse than listening to her advice as the year unfolds. When in doubt, simply ask, "What would Patti do?"
The trick to having a great year is living it like it is your last one. That way you don’t spend all your time worrying about the future; you only worry about what is important. That is the here and now. Take care of today and tomorrow will fall in place. That is true for everyone, especially those of us way up in the CHEAP SEATS! (By the way, “Happy New Year!”)
Bill James is a Criminal Defense Attorney and co founder of the James Law Firm with offices in Little Rock, Conway, and Fayetteville, Arkansas. He can be contacted at Bill@JamesFirm.com.