It’s the start of a new year and once again, I set goals for the year. These are different than “resolutions” as I fully intend on meeting them. Some of these goals are the same from year to year: get in better shape, spend more time with my family, work smarter (not necessarily harder), decrease expenses, increase revenue,  be the change I want to see in the world,  end world hunger, get a super power... and this year I added a new goal to the list. I will walk 1,000 miles in 2011. Instead of approaching this goal rationally, like I’m prone to do for any project, I wanted to apply the ideas in the book Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior, by Ori and Rom Brafum. If I behave irrationally naturally, as the authors point out, I may as well behave irrationally in a way that helps achieve my objectives.

Welcome, February. The days are starting to get longer, the snowstorms are (hopefully) subsiding, and Valentines Day is just around the corner. All over the country, you can find different opinions about Saint Valentine’s Day. Some people are excited at the prospect of flourishing their loved one with adoration and gifts on this special day, others dread the thought of it, while still others ignore the holiday completely. The enjoyability of this holiday can be circumstantial to what situation you are in. If you are in a new relationship, Valentines Day can act as a finely tuned microscope on your relationship, exploiting the shortcomings or highlighting the strengths, and can force us to decide if the relationship is really good for us, or if it’s poison.