First of all, I would like to wish you every success in 2013.

I have to admit that I am not a big fan of all this “happy new year” stuff. It seems to me that this we all say this to each other, and meanwhile things don’t get better in the world, and often they get a whole lot worse. The same can often go for our own lives too. (Some people even die at New Year parties!)

So, I say things like “Happy New Year” with a certain reluctance. It seems rather phony, most especially when the calendar is nothing more than a human abstraction. One day passes into the next, and that is basically the only physical reality.

That said, I think the new year provides us with an excellent chance to re-calibrate ourselves and pick ourselves up if we have faltered in our progress. It also allows us a chance to wish others well, which is something that we do far too little of. Not just for the New Year either, we should wish others well for the whole of their lives. And in this spirit, I DO wish you and yours every success and happiness in 2013, and for the whole of the rest of your lives.

As regards resolving to make a new start, this is actually something we can do ANY day of the year. We don’t need to wait until January 1st to make a fresh start. This is an important point. If you have goals that you are working on, if you get off-track and wish to review and start afresh, do so. You don’t have to delay until the start of a new year. Do it anytime. This may seem obvious but a lot of people do not realize it.

I am convinced that the reason most people do not achieve the goals they set for themselves is down to one thing – lack of self-confidence. Moreover, this low self-confidence is itself a symptom of low self-esteem. This means that we esteem ourselves less worthy for success and achievement than others, and behave accordingly. This leads to poor results which reinforces low self-confidence. And this gives rise to even lower self-esteem.

This problem is so pervasive (and hidden) that I am convinced that most people fail to achieve great success in life due ultimately to this one problem. In fact, I am completing a new product that will help cure this issue. But for now, try to get aware of this in your life. Have you failed to achieve your goals because, deep down, you really don’t believe you can pull them off (or are even worthy to)?

Anyway, I am not going to go into a long ramble right now on new year resolutions etc. I think that if you are responsible, and expect good things of yourself, that you will take this chance to review your life. Indeed, you will take every chance to review your life direction and see how things are turning out versus your dreams and goals.

That said, I would like to point you to a couple of things I think you will like…

The first is a detailed blog post about goals. This is a somewhat unconventional recommendation for this email list, but the author is John Carlton – a highly successful marketer and copywriter. He has some great advice here, which it generally applicable. I think you will do well to read it with attention and ponder it:

The second is just for a bit of fun in the New Year, and I hope you enjoy it. It’s a quick Youtube video starring none other than my own beloved cats (sons)! It provides definitive proof that cats understand English… especially around topics that matter to them!

Enjoy! (and please do the “Like” button thing, if you do like it)…

Do post your comments. I’d love to hear your thoughts!

Best Wishes For 2013,

Asoka Selvarajah

P.S. I am definitely taking a risk attempting humor again. Last time I posted something I thought was funny, I got blasted with negative comments. Oh well!