This issue is made up of the following sections:

1. Personal Effectiveness Tips
2. Questions for Growth
3. Reality Check - Decision Making

1. Personal Effectiveness Tips
1. Want to live longer? Engage more often in the following pursuits:

2. daily flossing of gums (really!)

3. moderate exercise

4. drink green or black tea

5. eat until "80% full" (Okinawan principle)

6. spend more time with family

7. Are you a New Years Resolution-type person? Here are some simple resolutions that will greatly enhance the quality of your daily life:
   • resolve to eliminate one activity that is driving you crazy

   • resolve to visit the doctor for a physical in January, to make sure that another year hasn't taken a negative toll on your body and health

   • resolve to spend more time with loved ones (the ones that understand that time together is precious)

   • resolve to take up that hobby that you never let yourself enjoy anymore

8. Holidays are a stressful time of year, what with the pressures of buying the right gifts, hanging out with various family members that can stress you out, dealing with long-lines at stores, and the inevitable over-eating that occurs during the reverie. Reduce your stress levels by focusing less on the act of giving a gift and more on the act of displaying affection for those dear to you. Forget the long lines, order online (while in your pajamas!). Set time limits for direct contact with relatives with personality disorders. Plan out your diet ahead of time. If you are attending a party in the evening and know that you will overeat, eat lightly and choose healthy snacks during the day. Simple steps and a little forethought will allow you to enjoy the holidays rather than suffer them.

9. Know your exit upon entry. This bromide is well-known among stock traders, but is applicable to our daily lives as well. It means that it is essential to understand your parameters for every engagement, be it a relationship, a business deal, an investment, or a goal of some sort. Set your exit strategy from the beginning; delineate your terms for success. Most people fail to do that, and wonder why they are never happy! If you know what needs to happen for you to "succeed" in any area of your life, you will know when to sit back and pat yourself on the back for a job well done.

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2. Questions for Growth
1. What are three things you can do to ensure that your holiday season is as stress-free as you want it to be?

2. What percentage of your life is lived on your terms rather than on others'?

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3. Reality Check - Decision Making

December's Reality Check is about decision making. Sound decision making is the core of every successful person I have ever encountered, yet it remains an overlooked aspect of any self-improvement program. My contention, however, is that you can immediately improve the quality of your life by resolving to change your life at this juncture-the space between what happens to us and how we react.

Decisions are simply choices on courses of action. They range from the simple (what kind of sandwich will I eat for lunch?) to the complex (should I marry this person?). We know we have made a true decision when action follows. Thus, you have not really made a decision to lose weight if you are still eating double-cheeseburgers daily and skipping your workouts.

The beauty of decisions is in the fact that they involve options-ALWAYS! You don't HAVE to suffer necessary evils. You don't have to spend time with people that make your esophagus clench. You don't have to be miserable, sad, lonely, or downtrodden if you keep in mind that you can always weigh your options and choose accordingly, in every situation. You don't have to become stressed out. You don't have to do things because "that's the way we've always done holidays." You don't have to overspend just because everyone else is doing it. You get the point?

Make certain that you are consciously making decisions that affect the quality of your life for the better. If you need an analogy, look at decision making as a muscle. Muscles get stronger with increased and expanded use. Increased demands on the muscle result in increased strength and size. The same is true with the process I've described.

Next time you are faced with an external event (stimulus, if you will), stop yourself prior to reacting, and realize that you can actually choose from among a variety of reactions to this one stimulus event. It's a fascinating and empowering concept if you stop and think about it. Really.

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