A quick note from the end of 2012. Kids: They've got it figured out.

My random little weekend reflection as 2012 approaches its end. You want to know why young kids are always so happy, and bounce back quickly after being unhappy? It's not because they haven't learned stress. They have - their stress is just proportionate to their age. When you're 5, getting in trouble and not getting dessert seems seriously stressful and analogous to how stressful something major/life-changing might be to an adult. Yet, kids shake it fast and try again with a smile. Why? When they finally realize that nothing they do, no tantrum, is going to change the fact that they're not getting dessert...they accept what they cannot change, let go, and shift their focus onto something new and new possibilities in days ahead. Why shouldn't we?

If you really stop and look at people who are stuck in unhappy places, you'll see that these people have an extremely hard time letting go of their own suffering. "That's ridiculous," you say, "If given the choice why would any person choose not to let go of the suffering or negativity in his or her life?" Although unfortunate, it's very simple, really. Out of a fear of the unknown and without recognizing what they're doing, many people prefer a suffering that is familiar to any newness that is unfamiliar and thus inherently brings about some element of risk. The bottom line? Not making decisions because they're hard or scary is making the decision, and while there are surely necessary vs unnecessary risks if you go through the entirety of your life not taking any risks at all in order to play it safe, you just took the biggest risk of all. You're risking regrets. Here's a shocker: you are responsible for your life and you cannot possibly know what's right until you also clearly know what's wrong - so wake up, have some right and some wrong in your life, and live it! Happy Saturday, y'all.