​"New years" is a convenient excuse to set a goal on some designated arbitrary day, with the idea that there is a built-in timeline of a year to achieve it. The problem is that most people either set an unrealistic goal, or they don’t keep track of and measure their progress, or both. You have to be consistent and you have to monitor your progress, but you also have to put yourself in a position to succeed by having an achievable goal in the first place.

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his "I have a dream" speech. That speech is considered one of the most famous speeches in American history. However, Kings speech was about more than just some random dream, it was about his vision for the future. I recently travelled to Washington DC and on Martin Luther King Jr. Day in front of the Lincoln Memorial I took a moment to distinguish the difference between "dreams" and "vision", and how that distinction is relevant to you and your personal life.

 Resiliency is the ability to rebound effectively. Whether from the loss of a relationship, job, business deal, medical diagnosis, sporting event, or finances, whatever it may be, life is going to knock you down and hand you setbacks from time to time - often when you least expect it, aren't prepared for it, or both. There are many natural tendencies that we have, unhealthy and often harmful ways we tend to try and deal with, or cope when faced with these setbacks or painful situations. If you are going to live a healthy, active life and continue to move forward on your own terms, regardless of circumstances outside of your control, you're going to need to have an effective strategy for bouncing back whenever the universe decides to throw you a change-up. These 3 R's provide an approach to getting back on track, in the most effective and healthy way possible when you're ready, regardless of what has knocked you down...

As a proponent of positive psychology & personal growth, and in preparation for my new venture as an 'Educational Speaker' and 'Success Coach', recently I've been doing a lot of work studying the fundamental keys and principles on how to create lasting change when it comes to any area of life. So naturally, that has included studying a lot of information from Tony Robbins! Below, I tried to incorporate Tony's 5 step approach to creating change in a time of crisis, into an approach that can also be useful when dealing with crisis inside of a relationship...  

When we fall in love it seems like our brain doesn't work in the usual way. We get sweaty palms, heavy breathing or feeling breathless, we can't think clearly, and it feels like we have butterflies in our stomach. Nevertheless, this feeling is wonderful. It can be triggered by something as simple as the meeting of eyes, touching of hands, listening to music or reading a book.