Martin Luther King is the only non-president to have a national holiday dedicated in his honor. It is well deserved. Dr. King was an inspiring writer and orator, and while others were advocating violence, King used words and nonviolent resistance to achieve legal equality for African-Americans. Words are powerful. They change our perspective and move us to action. “I Have a Dream” was named the greatest speech of the 20th century, but it could have turned out differently. The words Dr. King spoke were not the speech he wrote.

I'm stuck. My usual ability to maintain focus and commitment disappeared like the full moon. Slices reappear. Yesterday I kept two calendar appointments. With the rest of the day's scheduled commitments, I procrastinated, started and stopped activities, made a list and misplaced it, and was grateful the list was lost. I won’t allow anything to urge me into reluctant action.

Ready for a dose of the Tao? I came across a yellowed dog-eared book called, “The Tao Speaks. Lao-Tzu’s Whispers of Wisdom.” By chance it opened to the chapter on Virtue where it boldly proclaimed: “A virtuous person is like water and its special characteristics.” Are you as curious as I was to explore this analogy and its meaning?

As 2020 approaches, let’s try something different. Studies show that approximately half of us make New Year's Resolutions, but only a tiny percentage of us fulfill our promises – which means that 92% of those of us who make resolutions wind up feeling like undisciplined losers. Why start the new year with something we know will lead to disappointment? Instead of focusing on all the ways we’re not good enough and beating ourselves up for the ways we wish we would change, let’s try something new.