Can you believe it? Another year is almost gone! Now that the Christmas hustle and bustle is winding down, I’m taking a few minutes as I drink my morning coffee to personally reflect on 2007, form a plan of action regarding my 2008 New Year resolutions, and give you a peek of what Jayne and I are cooking up for 2008. Here’s Part I – Reflections.
I’ll admit that I am a perpetual optimist. It drives some people crazy and hopefully inspires more. My philosopy is that life is a choice. You can choose to see the glass as 1/2 empty or 1/2 full, and truthfully, I can’t imagine why anyone would pick anything other than 1/2 full. It’s in that spirit, that as I reflect back on 2007, I’m focusing on what I’m grateful for; rather than what was bad. Let’s face it, at some point in our lives, we are going to have a really bad day, a bad year, bad month – maybe even a really bad year. As Forest Gump once said, “shit happens”. But as I grow older, I realize that even on the worst day, I can find something to be grateful for. It’s a pretty humbling thing.
Here are some of the things I am grateful for as 2007 comes to a close:
My Family. Yes, we have our dysfunctional days. But anyone who thinks that their family is perfect, probably has a family that is more dysfunctional than mine – haha! At the end of the day, I am grateful for every little thing that makes my family mine.
My friends. I used to want everyone to like me. I was a people pleaser. Actually, I still want people to like me, but I realize that you cannot please all of the people, all of the time and some people are just not going to be a true friend. I am grateful to have finally realized this and that I’m smart enough to focus on friends who love me inspite of myself. They are rare, but precious.
Our Customers. Jayne and I have been so blessed to have met and talked to so many great people over the last couple of years. We truly love what we do and are so thankful for the oppurtunity to create and supply products that not only do we love to create, but that our customers love as well. It’s a journey that we look forward to for many years to come.
My health. God knows I should do more to honor my body, and I am thankful that it continues to put up with me. You know there’s a New Years resolution coming for this topic 
Pay it Forward. I am a firm believer in what goes around comes around. I am thankful for the stranger that told me I dropped a shopping bag in the mall, the cashier that always has a big smile for me, and the salesman that told me I was beautiful on a day that I really didn’t feel pretty at all. I just hope that in my lifetime I do as many randomly nice things for people who cross my path, as those that do for me.
So, reflecting back on 2007, that is what I’m grateful for. Next week I’ll share my resolutions and things that Jayne and I look forward to business wise in 2008. Have a safe and happy New Year.
