2013 Commitments

I'm not one for resolutions. I'm all for self-improvement, but the word itself seems flimsy and superficial. As papery as the confetti that falls on New Year's Eve. An apt description for something that won't be kept, and will be cast aside - even forgotten by Spring Break.

I prefer commitments. We honor our commitments, respect them, are bound by them. We marry them and hold them dear. Committing to change doesn't require a calendar. Exercise, going back to school, eating right, and everything else we resolve to do beginning Jan. 1 can occur under any sign of the zodiac.

However, a new year promises new beginnings, a fresh start.

I submit to you advice provided by the Pulitzer Prize winning author Annie Dillard. In her book, The Writing Life, she said this about writing:

"..spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now."

"Similarly, the impulse to keep to yourself what you have learned is not only shameful, it is destructive. Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes."

I relish the last three sentences. In addition to writing, the prose applies to business and life. Never wait. Tomorrow is not promised. Do what you must to make things happen today. I started my business more than four years ago because I couldn't continue to let my son spend more time with daycare providers than his parents. A huge risk that had to be taken. There were dozens of reasons to wait - we needed more money in the bank, my car wasn't paid off, the house needed to be painted. Waiting, or stalling, would have prevented me from getting to where I am now - a much happier place.

This blog is a demonstration of my believe in sharing knowledge - freely. I often suggest (beg) for others to call me, at any time, to ask questions and get my opinion on PR, communication issues or anything else. I believe in sharing, openly (and obnoxiously) what I've learned. I work with lawyers, accountants and other professionals who do the same.

I renewed my commitment to this for 2013 knowing that every time the phone rings, I get more out of the conversation than the person on the other end of the line. A new challenge, the satisfaction of being useful - to anybody, and the opportunity to refer a friend new business, makes life better.

If you have room in your life for resolutions, you have room for commitments. Change happens every day, and making a commitment to help others improves us all.