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Happy 2019!

I hope that your New Year is off to a great start.  Niki and I celebrated the ringing in of the New Year with our Disney family in Indianapolis.  We then spent the first day of 2019 flying home to Southern California.

A five hour flight on New Year’s Day gives you a lot of time to think and reflect.  Where have we been? Where are we going? What needs to be the #1 priority over the next 365 days?

My resolution was to eat healthier.  In fact, I ate so much on New Year’s Eve that I declared that I was not eating at all during 2019.  This unrealistic resolution held throughout the cross-country flight.

I said “no” to the peanuts.

I said “no” to the pretzels.

I even said “no” to my all-time favorite cookies—the Oreos.

When we landed at LAX, I was so proud of myself that I texted two friends bragging that I had avoided Every Single Snack on the plane.  But on the way home, Niki and I passed a Shake Shack that we did not know existed.  In my defense, I have never been to a Shake Shack.

After a double cheeseburger, crinkle cut fries, and a malted cookies and cream milkshake, btw I found the Oreos, I knew that my diet resolution for 2019 was done.

How is your resolution going?  

Despite my best intentions, I blew my diet on day one.  And that’s okay. I don’t need to be perfect. I just need to be better.

For 2019, I’ve decided to take a cue from Disneyland.  Instead of living by resolutions, I’ve decided to live life by a theme.  My one-word theme for 2019 is “calm.” No matter what the New Year brings, I want to enjoy each day.  I can’t control every minute, but I can enjoy every moment.

After a two-week holiday break, I returned to work on January 2nd.  While driving in, I was distracted with everything I knew would be waiting for me in the office.  

Unanswered voicemail messages.

Endless emails.  

Unfinished performance reviews.  

Incomplete budgets.  

During my distraction, I suddenly spotted a sedan moving slower than a Tomorrowland Autopia car.  Great, I thought.  What is this guy’s deal?

Remembering my word for 2019, I took a deep breath and calmly tailgated the driver going 20 miles per hour.  Then I noticed an adorable dog who had his head hanging out the back window. The driver had slowed down so that his dog could enjoy the drive and take in the beautiful January morning.

This dog was loving life.  His life!  He didn’t have a care in the world.  No goals. No resolutions. No agenda.  No To-Do-List. He was one cool canine and a calm reminder of the importance of enjoying now.

Disneyland markets itself as “The Happiest Place on Earth.”  But even Walt Disney knew that happiness is not a destination.  The maker of the Magic Kingdom once said, “Happiness is a state of mind.  It’s just according to the way you look at things.”

How will you choose to look at things in 2019?  I may have said “no” to snacks on the plane. But I am saying “yes” to happiness.