Did I get a little bit better? Did I learn something? Did I help someone? Did I show gratitude? Did I make a small difference?
When I look back over the past year or even the past decade these are the questions I ask myself to determine if I'm on the right path. No matter what life's challenges and opportunities have brought you this past year or decade, I hope you can answer yes to at least one of the questions above.
With death and tragedy comes an appreciation for life and knowing that it must be cherished every day. With failure comes learning and development for the next chance and opportunity. With success comes the ability to show gratitude for those that helped you succeed.
A lot of times we look for the big things that happened over the year to judge our success and failure and remember the biggest events that changed our lives. We sometimes forget all the little moments, decisions, and thoughts that make up most of our lives. It's the small moments that we take for granted that lead to the biggest moments in our lives. There is no such thing as an overnight success.
Remember - mile by mile it's a trial; yard by yard it's hard; but inch by inch it's a cinch.