by Laurie Meade

----"As a new year begins, we start reflecting on past and decide we are going to change. We want to accomplish something. A new year could spark a new beginning; however, it gives most of us time to make excuses for quitting.

Some of us might last until March, some of us don't last more than a few weeks. :o)

In my online marketing business, I feel following 8 areas are a great place to focus on change for new year.

I don't want to call them New Year's resolutions, that makes it easy to give up on them. I would rather call them,

"My Checklist to Improvement and Change"

By renaming my goals, I can put them in a different perspective in my mind. A checklist is something you will want to refer back to on a daily basis.

I'll tell you in a bit.

He met challenge to change with a dogged determination. Change is a part of life. And, a guy named Charlie did it his way for most of his early life-Wrong! Refusing to accept cycles that come and go and cause change, will undo best laid plans of mice and men.

He was born in poverty. In elementary school sold newspapers and shined shoes. After he quit school he got involved with hoboes and derelicts. He gambled, got involved with drug smuggling, was captured and sentenced to prison at twenty one years old.

Why? Charlie, , lived to be 79 years old and died in mid 1950's. He said before he died, those early years were a time of rebellion and refusing to change. And that refusal to change brought problems he encountered.

While in prison, Charlie had a lot of time to think. I guess so. He found out what it was like to cut off his nose to spite his face. Not too much fun. But, I'm sure none of you have ever been that stiff-necked, have you? Yeah, ok, right.

A Rose By Any Other Name Would Smell As Sweet!

Something happened to Charlie one day while in cesspool of liberation. Oh, yeah, he was a "janitorial engineer". You know, it's funny, but some of my most outstanding successes, I have ever made, came while I was in cesspool of liberation. There's just something about that place that brings about an amazing willingness to change.

Charlie completely changed direction of his aggressive personality. He quit hating Judge that sentenced him, he forgave federal agents who caught him and brought about all his troubles. He took a very good look at Charlie of past and resolved to avoid even very appearance of evil.

This change in Charlie's attitude also brought about a remarkable change in his behavior. Isn't that amazing? Yeah, right. He began to read books that gave him inspiration, guidance and help. He could feel changes taking place inside of him that he couldn't explain. But, he knew something good was happening.

A Feather In His Cap!

Because of these changes, he began to get favorable attention of prison officials. As fate would have it, Charlie got paroled and got a job as… guess what? Yeah, a janitor. Well, I guess it's better than a slap upside head with a wet fish. But, anyway, Charlie had a changed attitude, so slopping around in a toilet was not going to chap his rear. No pun intended. :>) hehehe!