Here we go again, New Year’s Resolutions abound – I’m going to lose 35 pounds, my wife is going to quit smoking and my neighbor Sue says she really is going to join the gym this year. Sound familiar?

I spent this past New Years in the thick jungle of Dolphin Head Mountain in Western Jamaica. Here I visited with my Rastafarian friend Bruce, who for the past 25 years has lived his life in an open air home on a stretch of land that holds beautiful mountain views and is rich with mango, lemon, bamboo, sugar cane and banana trees.  His most precious belongings consist of a wheel-barrel full of books and a 10 year old flashlight which he uses to read with in the evening.

We talked for hours about life, spirituality, and happiness.  What became apparent to me in the time I spent with Bruce is the need for each one of us to take time to quite our minds, connect with spirit and reflect on creating true happiness.  Too many of us live an external life never taking the time to go within, where true happiness is cultivated and all successful change begins.

So, my advice to you in making this New Year’s Resolution a success whatever your goal may be is to follow Bruce –live simply and spend at minimum 15 minutes each day in quit meditation. You will be surprised at what you will achieve, the awareness that you obtain and the peacefulness that you will find.

Written by Charles Wills