New Year, new possibilities. 2016 has passed, cheers to 2017. Recently, I visited a Holland America Line cruise ship in San Diego and it reminded me of something my father taught me. He served in the Navy, traveled the world, and always told me: the ship always knows where it needs to dock. The ocean may take it to the right or to the left, but at the end, the ship will get to the designated pier. In life, it is the same. If you don’t know your dock’s location, how will you create your route? At the age of 15, I visited Las Vegas and decided it would be my home, having no idea how it would happen to a girl from Israel, but I got there. The important part was I knew my ship’s dock and with hard work and a lot of luck, I now have been living in the most exciting city in the world for the past 20 years.
I ask you, as we enter 2017, where is your dock? What do you want to create/achieve/accomplish this year for yourself, your family and your business?
Often life throws you a curve ball and difficulties that take you off course and you want to give up or just disappear. I have been there, trust me, with my personal life as well as my business. All of us remember the economic crash of 2008. The question was how to react to it?
There is a great proverb that always carried me in life. A man had two sons. The father was a con-artist who dealt with drugs and prostitution, ending up in Jail. One son followed his lead and when asked why, he answered, “What choice did I have, look who my father is.” The other son became a respectable family man with two sons of his own, a business owner and stellar community man. When he was asked why, his answer was, “What choice did I have, look who my father is.” Two men, two different outlooks on life. How do you look at your life and situation? Something to think about, what course do you take? Where do you want to dock your boat?
A great way to deal with life is keeping a journal. Every night, empty your brain!! Any little thought about any little thing. Trust me you will sleep better. I saw a major difference in my life once I implemented this. The key is to have two journals, one for everyday life and the other for the blessings or things for which you are grateful. Often we forget the good things that are happening in our lives, which frankly help us go through life’s hurdles and keep us moving forward. I can honestly tell you I never reread the first book, but I often read the second one, to remind me life’s miracles.
Hope is a powerful tool in life and so is laughter. Recently, I had the honor of meeting my all-time favorite comedian, Bill Engvall (at right). You may know him from the Blue Collar Comedy Tours. Forget Xanax, go see him live; I was crying from laughter!! Make sure to download his new special, “Just Sell Him For Parts” on VUDU. I promise you, after a long day at work, he will cheer you up, guaranteed! Happy New Year! Let’s make it a great one, filled with love and laughter.
Calanit Atia, Air Force veteran, founder and president of A to Z Events, Las Vegas Premier Destination Management Company, Entertainment Agency, www.AtoZevents.com, an award winning event planner, Las Vegas ambassador, social media maven, columnist, and speaker. She can be contacted at Info@AtoZevents.com , www.twitter.com/CalanitAtia , www.facebook.com/calanit , www.linkedin.com/in/calanit , www.instagram.com/calanitatia.
