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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Mt. Ashland Ski Area shut down again by lack of snow Police Reports Chief Holderness retiring, wants to help find successor Ringing in the new year Howling good time at a wolf moon conclave Education Ashland schools to implement chickenpox precautions In the new year, be sure you have your 'ICE' file ready Walker students show creative chops at Invention Convention Teacher's Tips: Second — and third — chances are there for students For a friend: AHS seniors team up to help former fellow student Environment New TAP pumps bolster Ashland's options Most residents speak against gas pipeline proposed for Southern Oregon Home Help: Make your new house feel like home Business Ashland Safeway becomes Haggen's in March Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Crosstour Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Ride & Drive: 2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI Silvio Calabi: Infiniti Q50 offers business-class driving Politics and elections Chief Holderness retiring, wants to help find successor State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure State News Police officer shoots armed driver near Reedsport Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Death Notices Death Notices Local radio pioneer Howard LaMere, 64, dies at Ashland home Death Notices Death Notices Shareable Looking back: Do you remember 2014’s biggest stories? In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Sports Latest Stories Lillard clutch again, scores 39 as Blazers edge Lakers Ducks learned from lone loss Ashland drops MWL opener to Marist All Ducks Lillard, Blazers rally to beat Raptors in overtime High school Ashland drops MWL opener to Marist Ashland swats Yreka, braces for Marist Shibley-Styer, Malcolm lead Grizzlies to comeback win over Henley Feinberg scores 17 in Grizz loss Grizzlies tripped up late in tourney loss to Ridgeview Southern Oregon University Ducks learned from lone loss Ashland drops MWL opener to Marist All Ducks Ashland swats Yreka, braces for Marist Harbaugh vows 'excellence' at Michigan Opinion Latest Stories Granlund cartoon: Patriots versus Ravens Granlund cartoon: Potholes Granlund cartoon: GOP vs. Obama 2015 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 5 Our view: Food that fits us Editorial Our view: Food that fits us Our View: Police are doing their job Our View: Is the Flutie effect real? Our View: Embracing downtown's future Our View: Good news this week Letters Letters to the Editor, Jan. 5 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 31 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 29 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 23 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 17 Guest opinions Herb Rothschild Jr.: Waco and Ferguson Chris Honoré: 2014: the best and the rest Guest Opinion: The minimum wage and democracy Herb Rothschild Jr.: New Year resolutions Herb Rothschild Jr.: The role of charity Revels Latest Stories Community blog: Ashland Sketches offers a wild mix of art 4 things to do this weekend Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Best Bets: Jan. 2-8 Code-breaking thriller is a pleasure to watch Theater Theater is an act of co-creation ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Putting the music into 'A Christmas Carol' Music The Farr Side: Top 10 album count-up for 2014 Rating old-timers’ albums from 2014 Visual Art Schneider winter exhibits on tap: 'Baker's Dozen' and 'New Works' First Friday kicks off a new year Movies Listings for Varsity Theatre and Ashland Street Cinemas Code-breaking thriller is a pleasure to watch Interview: Josh Brolin goes bananas in ‘Inherent Vice’ Interview: Chris Kyle’s widow talks about ‘American Sniper’ film Ed Symkus: My top 15 films of 2014 Food and Drink Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Dr. Elaine Heffner: The party’s over Food for Thought: Save time on weeknight meal prep Ringing in the new year Howling good time at a wolf moon conclave Barry Lewis: Big changes happening in 2015 Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs NEWS NOW Mt. Ashland Ski Area shut down again by lack of snow ... Ashland Calendar ... Ringing in the new year ... Mt. Ashland Ski Area shut down again by lack of snow ... Ashland Calendar ... Ringing in the new year ... HealthStyle: New year, new you Comment By David Gannon More Content Now DailyTidings.com By David Gannon More Content Now Posted Dec. 30, 2014 @ 9:02 am By David Gannon More Content Now Posted Dec. 30, 2014 @ 9:02 am » Social News It is another new year. The last one is behind you now. It’s hard to believe. It seems like only yesterday that you were reflecting on what you would accomplish in the coming year. And yet another year has passed. And now you get to think about how much progress you made. Don’t worry, nobody really did all that they set out to do, anticipated the challenges they would face or the blessings they would receive. The past year was both the best of days and the worst of days. It may have been filled with opportunities and great experiences. It may have tested you with losses, grief, heartbreaks, and obstacles. Some problems may have been out of your control and very difficult to accept, such as the death of a loved one or the loss of a relationship. Obstacles may have been financial with a job that did not pay well or possibly a health problem that caused a setback in your life. Maybe you were enterprising and created some new opportunities for your career or in your personal life. How can you keep this going this year? So first, it would be helpful to look at the goals you set last year and see what you accomplished. Did you lose that extra 20 pounds? How about that plan to get to church every week? You said you wanted to spend more time with your family and less overtime with your work. How did you fare with that? Don’t forget that you planned to get to the gym and exercise at least three times each week. How about that one? Maybe you achieved some of these. They all sound pretty good and fairly realistic. Or maybe you set no goals at all. Take responsibility for both your successes and failures and learn from them. Determine how you succeeded and how you failed. Remember that failure is just an opportunity to try again but more intelligently next time. What did you do that was effective? Take heart. If you even managed to meet some of your goals you are growing and moving in the right direction. Maybe you didn’t try to improve yourself in some area because you were afraid of failing. If you never try you can’t learn what works and what doesn’t. Now let’s look at the coming year. It is important to do some conscious living instead of waiting to see what happens to your life. Think about what is important to you. What are your values? It might help you to think about your personal philosophy? This is your chance to decide if the path you have chosen for yourself in the past and your values are in alignment. Decide how you are going to allocate your time and energy this year. Is your health important? How will you improve your health this coming year? How important is family time to you? Do you want to spend more quality time with your spouse, children and parents? Perhaps you want to ramp up your career. How will you prepare for this? Will you take classes, do internships, show more initiative at work, learn a new skill or possibly learn from mentors? Will you follow the road not taken this year and try something new, or will you play it safe? What conscious choices will you make? Sometimes in the daily hustle and bustle, you might forget that your life is yours to manage. If you have children you also have some responsibility for their lives too. You wouldn’t start a business with no business plan and just hope everything works out. Your life is no less important? Take care of the business of your life in a proactive way. Spend some time to learn what you can from the troubles, losses and successes you experienced last year. Make a list of the five things that are most important to you and notice if you are dedicating time and energy to them. Set some goals that are reasonable and achievable this year. Periodically reassess how you are doing and make adjustments as needed. At the end of this year, you should find that setting a course and following it will ultimately make you feel happier and more fulfilled. Remember that growth is an essential part of living. Just think of yourself as a work in progress. David Gannon, Ph.D., Psychological and Family Consultants, Canton, Ohio. By David Gannon More Content Now DailyTidings.com By David Gannon More Content Now Posted Dec. 30, 2014 @ 9:02 am » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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