Better Person 2

Becoming a better person starts with trying to make the people in your immediate family happier.

Your spouse and children, mother and father, aunts and uncles, and nieces and nephews were not brought into this world to solve your problems. That's your job. Resolve to spend less time complaining to them and more time listening to their complaints.

Smile when you see them. Give them the time and attention they need to share their dreams and ambitions with you. Give them the advice they want and shut up when they don't want any. Become the person they turn to when the chips are down. Learn to love their peccadilloes and encourage them to overcome their faults.

Above all, be loyal to them.

Be a reliable and steady resource for your business colleagues, too. Help them achieve their goals -- not because you want their support but simply because you want them to succeed.

And do something for people you don't know -- a stranger you come upon, a foster child, or a sick or poor person who can benefit from your help. Spend money. Spend time. Most of all, spend your love.

Make this outward focus a natural part of your daily life. Do it purposefully and deliberately until it becomes second nature to you.

This is not the kind of goal one can achieve in a single year. It will be on my list next year. Perhaps it will be on your list too.