Happy New You!
By Bernadette A. Moyer

Most of us are walking around and greeting with “Happy New Year!” but this year I have decided to go with “Happy New You!”

It could be as simple as a new hairdo or as meaningful as a new career move or job. Each year as we turn over to the New Year, we have the unique opportunity to begin again. We have a chance to create a new life. We can lose weight and eat healthier and work out at the gym more often.

We can learn a new language or paint a room and remodel and redecorate. We can give more away than what we consume and take in. Each year we can rethink, redefine and readjust who and what we are all about. How do we want to spend our time, what should we do each day to ensure that we are happy and operating as our highest and best self?

What will you do this year that you have never done before? What will make 2019 better than 2018? How will we define “better?”

Each life has a beginning, a middle and an ending, where are we in our life? And what should we do so that each day we want to leap out of bed and begin our day? Should we travel more or stay put longer?

Is our attitude one that still serves us well, or do we need to change and adjust it? No one knows how long their life will be but if/when it comes to a conclusion have we lived, loved and learned?

The only person responsible for our happiness and our quality of living is us, what might we do in 2019 that helps with be the best version of ourselves? How can we begin again and be a happier healthier newer version of ourselves, our best self?

I see a New Year as the perfect opportunity to be a New You! Happy New YOU!

Bernadette on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/bernadetteamoyer
Books by Bernadette A. Moyer on Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Expectations
By Bernadette A. Moyer

Expectations are something that we all have and are also often what makes us upset or disappointed or even sad and depressed. When something doesn’t go the way that we believe it should and our expectations are not met, we become disappointed and maybe even disillusioned.

Last Saturday I made an appointment at a local car dealership and expressed interest in test driving two vehicles. Several phone calls and messages later I was certain we were set for our 10:30 a.m. appointment. It was a rainy Saturday morning and when we arrived we were met by our salesperson and almost immediately passed off to a “specialist” who did NOT have the vehicles I requested ready and started asking questions like; “what do you need to have in a vehicle?” and when I pressed him about seeing the cars I inquired about we ended up walking through the car lot in the heavy rain.

Inside I could feel myself getting upset, my expectations were not being met and ultimately I made the decision that I was not going to do business with them. It was almost comical how he chased after us and then his sales manager chased after us. We drove off the Jeep dealership lot in a Jeep we already owned! That day we expected to buy a new car and it didn’t happen.

A week later I went to purchase another Jeep and my experience was wonderful and met all my expectations! The car is so much nicer and the experience was so much better.

We are just a few days from Christmas, a holiday that brings with it much anticipation and often high expectations. Will it be as magical as all those Hallmark movies and Christmas cards? Will we feel that special “spirit” of the Christmas holiday? Will we receive and will we give that perfect gift? And how about that special Christmas dinner, will it meet all of our expectations?

Do we expect too much or not enough? Will we feel the love from our family and our friends? Our level of expectation is almost equal to our degree of happiness.

The longer I live the more that I understand the only person I have the right to place expectations on is myself. We set ourselves up for disappointments when we expect others to respond the way that we would respond.

“Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed.” Alexander Pope

I don’t know that we could live our lives without any expectations but I do know that one of my very favorite phrases is “exceeded expectations.” This holiday season I wish that everyone has their expectations met and even exceeded.

Merry Christmas and wishing you all a very Happy and Healthy 2019!

May God continue to bless us all …

Bernadette on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/bernadetteamoyer
All books by Bernadette A. Moyer on Amazon and Barnes & Noble