"i like that it's hard"

Greetings and Happy Holidays iiWii'rs. I hope you all have been enjoying time with family and friends, turning off BlackBerries, eating too much, drinking a little too much, sleeping in, thinking about the year that what was and the year that lies ahead. I hope you've been doing a few of those things, because honestly, I've done them all.

If you're like me just a bit, iiWii, this time of year is always exciting. As I already mentioned, you get to reflect on accomplishments and hardships throughout the year, all while looking ahead to a new, New Year, a clean slate--unless of course your fiscal year ends June 30, I can't help ya there. (sorry Love)

For all intents and purposes 2013 yours truly had a year filled with pretty low lows, and pretty high highs. Life is short, we all know this. We could also probably agree that with all great things that life has to offer, in many cases it could have been a combination of good timing, hard-work, but the people in your life that helped guide you along. If this year has taught me anything, it's that even in the absence of those guides you can continue to work hard and find your way. It's not easy, and I like that it's hard... iiWii... "I like that it's hard." Thinking about that, I was immediately reminded of a fantastic episode of the West Wing where Toby Ziegler meets a middle-aged, middle-class guy at a bar and he says the exact same thing... advance to 6:20 of the following YouTube clip to watch if you'd like...

While nothing in life is sheer certainty, I can pretty much guarantee that while fictional, the gentleman's story to Toby is without a doubt reality for many hard working Americans across the country. iiWii, America isn't easy... and DING... another Hollywood moment comes to mind... advance to 1:02 of the following ...

So a New Year, 2014, begins in a few hour from now... will it be easy... maybe... maybe not... regardless, iiWii, I like that it's hard and I'm looking forward to it.

Until next time....