6 Small Steps to a Great New Year

Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®

​Like the waves of the vast ocean before us, a whole year of successive days lies upon the horizon’s edge.
 
And like each wave that approaches the coast, each successive day will lash, crash, and smash into the shore of today… only to be followed by another… and then another… until we alone set ourselves upon our last approaching sunrise, awaiting our final sunset.
 
As I look back upon this past year, I continue to heal from a few life-changing events.
 
And through this process of healing, I have learned much.
 
I have learned that…
 
To heal is to not only accept, but also to embrace.
 
To heal is to somehow make sense of something that seemingly makes absolutely no sense at all.
 
To heal is to say goodbye to not only what was, but also what will never be.
 
To heal is to say hello to an entirely different reality.
 
So, in a very real way, to heal is to have a break with reality… the OLD reality.
 
What WAS will never be again.
 
What once COULD be… will never be.
 
What once was, however, will ALWAYS be.
 
I have learned that the past is as much of a gift as is the present.
 
The memories, the moments, and the magic remain forever tucked away in the loft of my mind, waiting for those powerfully ponderous days when I gently untuck those momentous times, bring them into the light of today… and seek solace in what was as I take comfort in the beauty of it all: yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
 
For all of it rests within the magic of me as I graciously meet each successive wave, each passing day, and every second that lies in between.
 
As we approach yet another New Year, I ask you to join me in six small steps to the best year ever: Forgive. Focus. Find. Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ®

1. Forgive.  Whatever it is or was, let it go.  For every minute we squander on finding fault, brandishing blame, and rehashing the same bad memory, we lose two additional minutes.  How does one minute subjugate two?  We lose the first minute by scraping the bottom of the bad-memory barrel, and we also lose a second minute by way of an “opportunity cost…” a minute that could have been used for something special, super, or simply “just not negative,” which is a small but significant move into the next step…
2. Focus.  When you refuse to forgive E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G, you alone remain bogged down in the powerful past (a past made powerful only by you).  When you have forgiven what was, you are absolutely, totally, unequivocally free to focus on THIS year, THIS day, THIS moment in time.  And when you focus on today, YOU are the most powerful person in the world (when it comes to you).
3. Find.  Quite simply… once you have forgiven all, you can focus on what really matters.  And after you have done this, not only will you find your path to passion, power, and ponies in your life (if that’s what you really want); but those things will somehow, someway, magically find YOU.  It’s true; believe me.
4. Accept.  What has happened will never change. Accept it; embrace it; see it as a milepost on your ever-evolving charmed life.  I realize that some downright devilish things have happened in your life; me too.  But in reality, you alone have the choice to see that event as an asset or a liability.  Scripturally speaking, all things happen for the good of those who have been called for the Highest purpose.  As soon as we accept a few things, we immediately begin to change…
5. Adapt.  Perhaps Charles Darwin said it best when he said, "It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change."  It is our high degree of adaptability, sprinkled with an exceptionally large reservoir of perseverance that will create the greatest impact on whether or not we leap to the last step…
6. Achieve.  To achieve is to attain a goal.  To attain a goal, we must first set a goal.  And to set goals, we must first think about what we definitely want.  And to do this, we must first THINK.

 
And this is where I leave you: to think.
 
Please take a moment or two to think daily.
 
Think about what you want to achieve, and then work your way backward.

1. ACHIEVE what? Ask yourself what you want to achieve, and then set the goal.
2. ADAPT.  Change your life in ways that directly feed progress to your goals.
3. ACCEPT a few facts, sacrifices, and realities along the way.
4. FIND a way to make your facts more relevant and, dare I say, “more true.”
5. FOCUS on what you absolutely know; influence what others think.
6. FORGIVE.  Every single day of this next awesome year, forgive yourself for your mistakes… at least until you understand the lesson in each mistake (and then it’s not a mistake, but rather a lesson to be learned). Forgive others as soon as they offend you.  And remember your purpose for being here…

 
And if you don’t know your purpose…
 
Forgive. Focus. Find… and your purpose will find YOU!
 
Accept. Adapt. Achieve. ® … and this will be your best year yet!
 
Aloha ~
 
      ~ John

​John H. Clark III is an optimistic realist.

Principal consultant at The PIE Group, and Executive Director of TeenBuilding USA, [a non-profit 501c(3)], John believes better development of leaders is what we (all) need.  And to be better organizations, we need more good leaders, not followers. To build better leaders, we must start with the individual (you, she, he, and me).
 
Described as “an innovative leader,” John teaches leaders, organizations, and individuals how to inspire each other. With a bold goal to inspire a worldwide community of optimistic realists who continuously accept, adapt to, and achieve the bold and beautiful concept of The Ideal Life, John is leading a movement to inspire people to apply his trademarked mantra {Accept. Adapt. Achieve! ®}.
 
An innovative business manager, published author, and retired naval officer, John is fascinated by leaders and organizations that make the greatest impact within their organizational culture and within the “real” world — people who “get it.” Over the course of his life as a military leader, corporate mentor, and innovative content creator, John has discovered a wealth of insight about how we think, act and communicate within our respective work/life environments. As a career naval officer, mentor, educator, and optimistic realist, he has devoted his life to sharing insights to assist in our quests to become better at what we all do – live @ work!
 
An optimist with a penchant for writing about realistic solutions to the challenges of everyday life, John is the author of 3 books: a leadership-development insider, The Ideal: Your guide to An Ideal Life, a teen-focused guide, Getting Out: Expert Advice for Today’s Teens, and the Christian-based book, God’s Heartbeat: A Powerful Premise for Leading a Christian Life.
 
He delivers a unique and refreshing point of view to life's seemingly overwhelming situations. 
 
Through books, blogs, and everyday conversation, John's message resonates with an empowering blend of ideals that enrich, uplift, and authorize people to set and achieve goals far beyond current mindsets.  His trademarked phrase is a winner: