I can’t wait for 2009 (and all that it represents) to be over. I don’t think I’m alone; I imagine this is a year most people would like to forget. And since I can’t personally end war, cure disease, fix the economy, create jobs, solve the health care crisis, create cheap and abundant oil or regulate the temperature of the earth, I will have to focus on other ways of making 2010 a better year.

Here are my 5 steps for leaving 2009 in the past:

1. It’s only one year. When December 31st winds down, it will officially be over. I’m going to remember that most years were not like 2009 and that it was just one year of many. Think about it like free-throws rather than at-bats. You will miss a few, but don’t let the misses get in your head.
2. Think of it as the year of the asterisk. In baseball, the asterisk is referenced whenever a player breaks a record on steroids (see: Barry Bonds). I’m going to recommend applying an asterisk to everything that happened in 2009. Did you get laid off? Apply an asterisk. Divorce? Asterisk. In a couple years, we will all look back and tell a story of some bad experience and someone will say “When did that happen?” to which you’ll reply “Oh, that was in 2009.” Followed by a chorus of “Ohhhh, of course.”
3. Call it quits. Remember when you were young – think high school or early college – and a relationship had run it’s course and all you could think about was how much fun it would be to be single again? Tomorrow always meant opportunity for change. 2009 is like one long, terrible relationship. And the good news is – it is almost over. 2010 is going to more attractive, funnier, and will laugh at all my jokes. 2009 gained a bunch of weight, started smoking 2 packs a day, stopped getting rid of the occasional facial hair, and fell in love with stained sweatpants. It’s been a long run 2009, but you aren’t good for me anymore and I’m moving on. I’m not going to call and you know what, 2009, if you call me or try to come around, I’m going to file a restraining order.
4. Rebel. To solidify that 2010 is different, do something drastic. Change your hair. Get a tattoo. Get a new car if you can afford it. Finally get those blinged out veneers for your “grill”. Wardrobe change. In order to make sure 2010 is different, sometimes you have to do something that FEELS different. Lenny Kravitz cut off all his hair after his divorce saying that the hair carried the energy from that time and to move on, he needed to get rid of the negative energy. I don’t have much hair, but I’ll find something.
5. Get back to basics. Set goals. I think I heard a saying once that “Success breeds success.” Sometimes you need to feel success to get that positive mojo working. To get 2010 started right, I’ve set some short term goals that I think are attainable and I’m going to keep doing that throughout the year. My expectation is that it will translate to a positive year, or if nothing else, keep the negatives in perspective. We can’t control the economy. We can’t control the government. We can’t control interest rates or H1N1. We can’t control Tiger Woods’ libido. So find something you can control, set a goal, and accomplish it. Then repeat until 2011.

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Related posts:

1. [think] The Top Wichita Stories of 2009
2. [watch] Best Movies of 2009
3. [think] The Obligatory New Year’s Resolution Post
4. [think] New Year’s Resolutions – Wichita Style
5. [think] Easy Ways to Change the World