Like most people, I have a few things in mind that I want to focus on with every calendar turn to a new year. Also like most people, I've come to question the idea behind new year's resolutions - why wait until a new year to work on things? Even if I were to succeed with one of my resolutions, does that mean I've failed with my 3 or 4 others?

After thinking it through for the first few days of the new year, I came to a new conclusion the other night: the only resolution I need is to act more like my dogs. (Hopefully I don't lose everyone but Gabby at this point...)

Our two Golden Retrievers, Tucker (named after Kentucky, obviously) and Nolan, are all the things I want to be: they're unconditionally loving, endlessly happy and thankful for everything. Really, what more could you need? If you have those three things, everything else after that is just icing on the cake.

Too often, our human nature is to believe that everything has to be good and all of our needs must be met before we can be kind. Bad days, a fight with a loved one or the stress of bills often dictate our general happiness and kindness towards others. As it turns out, kindness and happiness is actually the foundation for all other things to fall into place. To me, my dogs are the perfect reminder of that on a daily basis.

I could go on and on about all the reasons that dogs are sometimes the only redeeming aspects of humans, but instead I'm going to take this opportunity to share lots of pictures of my dogs and you'll see why I just want to be like them when I grow up:

Happy Friday Crusaders!

Have you started on your New Years resolution? A common habit that people have a problem with is learning how to start. One of the principals I will be trying this year is the "20-second rule." Yes, that is the same principle from The Happiness Advantage where Shawn Achor discusses the 20-second rule,

“I like to refer to this as the 20-Second Rule, because lowering the barrier to change by just 20 seconds was all it took to help me form a new life habit. In truth, it often takes more than 20 seconds to make a difference-and sometimes it can take much less-but the strategy itself is universally applicable: Lower the activation energy for habits you want to adopt, and raise it for habits you want to avoid. The more we can lower or even eliminate the activation energy for our desired actions, the more we enhance our ability to jump-start positive change.”

Try it with me this year and let's get the momentum going. Once we get started, it will be easier to keep going and thus success will be easier to achieve.

It was a brisk morning in Southern California. The sun had just begun to peer over the waves as it splashed its colorful display across the sky and water. It was her first day of Dawn Patrol since her last visit to the Pacific. 

With a surfboard in hand, she braved the cold morning with the crucial help of a morning cup of coffee. As she enjoyed the simple aroma of her morning beverage, she set up her spot on the beach and painstakingly put on her wetsuit. 

After a few sips, she was emboldened to brave the morning waters. She walked the fifteen feet towards the water to see what the Pacific had in store for her but, as she neared the water she had no idea of the mistake she had made...Until she turned back towards her newly established post, only to be met with dark black eyes peering at her from a phantasmal white face. 

The bird had descended swiftly, towards her drink. She breaks into a run, attempting to match the speed of this newly-discovered enemy. It was too late. In a blur of feathers, it kicked the cup over, spilling its contents onto the sandy floor then dunking its orange beak into the remaining coffee. 

The bird's cruelty was made fully apparent as it let out its haunting call, resembling laughter. This defeat was a hard one to take, but the day was not a total loss. As she paddled out into the morning waves she joined the chorus of laughter of her new formidable adversaries.