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Year End Rituals

I was the one with those infernal brag sheets--sending a dossier of annual achievements to all my "friends." I'm glad I stopped doing that.

I was also that "friend" who called everyone on my phone list year-end (I guess now that would be all the people in my cell phone), to wish them holiday greetings. It would take HOURS!

Now I've learned that I can only be close to a select few. And they know I love them because we're in contact all through the year.

This is the time of bonus envy too. Who failed to get promoted can feel outrageously offended.

How do we measure success, or the viability of a life? The number of friends, the salary number, the title, the progression of a career? What about our health, the number of people who may come visit us in the hospital should we ever take ill, the things that will be said at our funeral, the way people feel around us, the service we gave to others?

This is a great time for reflection on what really matters. Take stock in a big picture, beyond the competition we often attach to our careers. Look too at the core values you hold dear and see if you can embed those in 2012.

Happy New Year.

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