Since everyone is overly optimistic about 2010, I’m going to be the Joe Biden to everyone’s Obama. After all, the year just started and I think it’s a little premature to say things like “Happy New Year!” We did the same thing at the beginning of 2009 and look how that worked out.  So, in the spirit of new beginnings let’s take baby steps to ensure our expectations are met this time around. Resolved to quit smoking? Cut back on your daily intake rather than trying to quit all at once. Trust me, all my friends who went the cold turkey route typically started to celebrate their progress after 2 weeks and in no time at all they were back to their old ways.  Trying to lose 10 lbs this new year? Lower your expectations and work at it 2 lbs at a time.

See, it’s easy. If you want this year, 2010, to be the happiest one ever just lower your expectations. That doesn’t mean you have to turn into a mopey pessimist, who curses everything to be doomed from the start. No, it just means you don’t have an unrealistic perception of the world around you. The economy isn’t going to be fixed overnight just like you won’t shed the weight or the smoking habit in only a couple of weeks.  Anything worth the effort typically takes time, and if we plan to do 2010 right it’s going to take patience and continued effort to ensure we don’t have another 2009 on our hands. Let’s avoid blue balls this year and bust all over 2010’s face…Ok, that analogy has officially gone too far. That said, good luck to you in 2010. And remember, we’re all in this mess together so it’s about that time we clean it up or face the reality of maggots in last night’s Domino’s box.