For 2015: Get nicer. Get smarter. Get better!

Like many of you, I no longer make New Year's resolutions. They are usually soon abandoned, followed closely by guilt and rationalization. (And then by an adult beverage or cookies or ice cream. Depending on the size of the resolution being marooned, it might be all three.)

Instead, I'm a big proponent of the "gets," all year long. We're not on this earth to stay the same! Whether 15 or 50, one of our most rewarding responsibilities during our lifetime is to keep gaining knowledge and skills...and most importantly, talents of the heart. Whatever makes us better friends, lovers, siblings, children, parents, partners, managers, business people, humans: that's where we need to be getting our "get" on.

Sometimes at year's end I run a quick mental video of the past year through my head, to assess what I learned, whether I helped enough where I could, what I know now that has moved me forward, what skills I gained or friends I've connected with that I didn't have a year ago. No matter how our previous year looks, there's always a shiny new one right in front of us. We don't have to make huge changes. It's the small ones, done well and repeatedly, that move the needle in the best way.

One of the simplest ways to get nicer, smarter and better is by following Don Miguel Ruiz's Four Agreements - a phenomenal read for anyone. Wait, let me edit that! It's a must-read for everyone. Ruiz has these four recommendations for a richer, truer life: 

Be Impeccable with Your Word 

Don't Take Anything Personally 

Don't Make Assumptions 

Always Do Your Best

I wish I could live in perfect alignment with these agreements, but some days I fail miserably. Other days I hit the mark every time. Always, always, there is the option of rising to the occasion. And nowhere on that list does it say, "Stay exactly the same, year after year." 

I'm not unhappy with this year's mental video, though there are some things I could have done, or done better, and didn't. But this is a certainty: next year's will be remarkable. I know it will, because I've started production on it already. It's got a great supporting cast, multiple scene and costume changes, a terrific plot, some surprise twists, and a happy ending. 

See you here, a year from now, and maybe I'll recap it for you. And in the meantime, you deserve a magical year. May it be yours in 2015. 

© 2014 A Bit of Brie/Anitabrie