The Best Year of Your Life

Excuses keep us from taking responsibility for our lives and prevent us from seeing the truth about our current reality. They are literally our attempt to “excuse” ourselves from acting like the responsible, powerful, creative human beings we are. Excuses have become a socially acceptable way of giving ourselves the “out” we might be looking for. Our excuses scream, “It’s not my fault”; “I couldn’t help it”; “I didn’t have time”; “My kids needed me”; “I told Sally to handle it”; “That’s not in my job description”; “I can’t do it all”; “It’s too big”; “I’m too stressed out”; “It’s too much work”; “I’m too busy already”; “I’m not smart enough”; “I did my part, but they didn’t do theirs”; “People around me are irresponsible”; “Someone else should handle this”; “Everything will fall apart if I don’t do it”; “I have a headache”; “The system is screwed up.” Excuses transfer all of our inner power to outer circumstances and strip away our ability to create results. They sabotage our dreams for our future and send us, time and time again, down the familiar path of our past. Excuses have the ability to infiltrate our deepest desires and best-laid plans and rob of us of having a life we love.

Excuses are automatic; they take no thinking or creativity. For many of us, we are so familiar with our excuses that we don’t even realize they are excuses. They show up as the truth of our lives. But hear this: Excuses are not the truth. We all have them, we all use them, and we all pretend we are made powerless by them. But if we are to have the best year of our lives, we have to be willing to give up all the excuses we’ve used. We have to ask ourselves this fundamental question: “Do I want to align with the greatest vision of myself, or do I want to align with my excuses?”

we continue to visit our NCZs because at some level we are afraid to change. We’re scared to grow up or afraid of failure. Most of us would rather stay where we are, even if we complain about it, than go for the gold and fail. So we keep falling into the proverbial hole that we know so well as a way to ensure that we will stay where there is some familiar comfort. Although we might claim that we want better, more productive, more fulfilling lives, we continue to hold on to what isn’t working. We use one excuse after another as to why we don’t have the life we desire and why our dreams have not turned into reality.

CHAPTER 1
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost…I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes me forever to find a way out.
CHAPTER 2
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place.
But, it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
CHAPTER 3
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in…it’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
CHAPTER 4
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
CHAPTER 5
I walk down another street

UNFINISHED BUSINESS
Physical incompletions—like clutter, half-completed projects, uncompleted to-do lists, and unfinished business of all kinds—prevent us from having a clean slate on which to create what we want. They weigh us down physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally, robbing us of our passion and joy for life. They are evidenced in our outer world as old files, extra pounds, clothes that don’t fit, garages packed full of boxes, and equipment that no longer works or serves any purpose. When our lives are riddled with incompletions—whether we are consciously aware of them or not—our energy and mental focus are scattered, we feel resigned about our state of affairs, and we put off the projects and tasks that are truly important. If we are to create a powerful new future unlike our past, our incompletions must be purged so we can see clearly and move forward powerfully.
Think of each of your incompletions as little bloodsuckers. Imagine they are somewhere in your body, draining your self-esteem, your feelings of worthiness, your drive, your passion, and your confidence. If you could see each of these little bloodsuckers, wouldn’t you quickly do what ever it takes to remove them? You would be horrified if you knew they were there, silently robbing you of contentment and peace of mind. Not for a minute do I think you would stand idly by and allow these bloodsuckers to feed off you. I know this is not a very pleasant image, but this is what’s happening, whether you want to admit it or not. Bringing completion to all of your projects and your past affairs is a way to rid yourself of these hidden parasites that drain your energy and cloud your vision. Completion is a gift that you give yourself. It gives you permission to put the past in order, to put everything in its place, to leave it whole and complete.
I am reminded of Tony, one of my coaches, who had been struggling for years to get his new business off the ground. It seemed no matter how hard he worked, or how

voice of resignation is a little different for each of us, but its tone usually sounds something like this: “Why bother? It’s never going to happen. I don’t have what it takes. It’s too much work. I don’t have time. I can’t deal with it. I don’t deserve it.” When we fall short where we had hoped to succeed, when our day-to-day lives fail to resemble our visions of what is possible, when our goals haven’t turned into reality, our hope for a great life begins to die, our senses deaden, and gradually we become resigned about our futures.

Reflect on your vision for what would make this the best year of your life and then ask yourself, “What kind of person could effortlessly achieve this vision?” Identify two qualities that you will need to cultivate within yourself in order to manifest your vision with ease. Look to see what actions or daily practices will nurture the two qualities you have identified

Whatever quality drove you last year—whether it was fear, laziness, procrastination, martyrdom, mistrust, or greed—making a conscious choice to develop the polar opposite of that quality will support you in making this a great year.

When your daily actions nurture the qualities that you want to bring forth, you will find that you are naturally being guided in the direction you want to go.

All that is required is for you to bring forth parts of yourself that you have not previously had access to. You do this by first identifying who you would have to be—what qualities you would have to demonstrate—in order to fulfill your vision and inspire yourself. Then simply take the actions that will support you in developing those qualities.
Imagine that each of the qualities that you desire to bring forth is a starving part of you that needs to be fed and well nourished in order to thrive.