I decided to be a better listener, more patient, a loving and caring husband and father, a supportive friend who was gentler with myself while eating nutritious foods and finding the fun in life.  I called them “Affirmations for a Stress-Free Century.”

I look back on that list and I feel pretty good about the job that I have done in keeping those affirmations.  I’m not perfect, of course, but I work at it every day.

So what can I resolve to do in the coming year that will make life better for both myself and for those around me?  Can I change the world?  Of course I can!  I cannot solve every problem worldwide.  But I can change my little part of the world.

I can do my part to eliminate illiteracy, by reading to children every chance I get.  I can bring joy wherever I go.  I can concentrate on converting negative habits into positive ones.  I can take personal responsibility for every decision I make in my life.  I can create love and laughter and smooches at every turn in the road.  I can stop and breathe.

Make it a Happy New Year.  The choice is up to you!

2011 has been a tough year for me and for a lot of other people, too.  Anyone who knows me, understands that a positive and upbeat attitude is essential to my character.  One of the ways I maintain that positive attitude is learning to go with the flow.  I’ve had to give up trying to control everyone and every situation in my life.  It’s impossible to do and it drains my energy.  You know, giving up control doesn’t necessarily mean giving up responsibility.  It just means setting priorities.  If there’s too much to fit in, I have to work out what I can leave out.  That’s tough because I am a guy who likes to say “Yes!”  Some might call me the original “yes man.”

But in the end, we’re only human.  I once saw a quote that has become my mantra, “For peace of mind, give up being General Manager of the universe.”  Put things into perspective.  Is it really worth fighting over whose relatives we see first or what gift the family gives to Aunt Mary?  In the end, the best gift you can give is the gift of time.  So let the other person win.  Don’t take things too seriously.  Why get worked up over things that are not really important?

Take a deep breath.  Live and breathe in each moment.  Love unconditionally.  And don’t forget to laugh today and every day!

Mele Kalikimaka (that’s Hawaiian for Merry Christmas)

Years later, I told myself that I failed in my own marriages because I had not had the kind of loving example as a child that I needed to make the commitment that marriage required.   I told myself that I always wanted to keep the closeness with my sons that I lost with my own father when my parents divorced.  Yet, I failed to keep that promise to myself or to them.  I tried, but I was always busy on the road with the acts I was managing.  It wasn’t my fault, you see.

It took me a long time to come to grips with the fact that my failure to fully commit to my relationships was my own personal failure, not the result of a childhood trauma.  No one forced me to fall short.  I had allowed myself to be a disappointment because the grass was always greener on the other side of the street.  While I greatly regret the consequences of my shortfallings, I know that they made me the man that I am today.  I am still a work in progress.  But I take responsibility for my own decisions.  I wake up every morning, glad to be alive and aware that each day will be filled with as much happiness as I allow it to be.  It’s entirely up to me.

Aloha,

Wally

 I am virtually never without my kazoo.  I wear it on a ribbon around my neck so as to always be ready to announce my presence, cheer a child or just amuse myself.  In my baking, I consider my kazoo-playing an important “secret ingredient” to the process, second only to the love I put in everything I make. 

 It is often said that the kazoo’s closest relative is the African horn-mirliton, with a tube made from the horn of a cow and a membrane consisting of the egg-shells of spiders.  Horn-mirlitons were used by witch doctors as far back as tribal history can trace.  There are also pretty substantial rumors that place Roman military kazoo bands leading Caesar’s legions against the Celtic hordes of Vercingetorix in 52 BC.   Pretty impressive history for such a modest instrument.

 I’ve used kazoos not only in Japan but all over.  In 1972 I celebrated my birthday in Winter Park, Florida, by visiting the children’s ward at the local hospital for a one-man kazoo concert.  In 1976, on a promotional tour in Tucson, Arizona, I ducked into a Farrell’s Ice Cream Parlor and recruited some of their employees to play kazoos in an impromptu marching band announcing the arrival of a freshly made cookie which was carried on a satin pillow through the mall to a local department store. 

 In 2009, I was Grand Marshal of the 4^th of July Parade in Kailua, Hawai‘i, complete with a Kazoo Band.   In 2010, I “kazooed” in Malaysia.  And last week, at a private dinner in the home of some friends, I quietly slipped away to their kitchen to whip up a batch of cookies for dessert, announcing their exit from the oven with a rousing kazoo fanfare.

 The kazoo is not often found in classical music, a rare exception being David Bedford‘s “With 100 Kazoos.”  Rather than being played by trained musicians, kazoos are handed out to members of the audience, who accompany a professional instrumental ensemble. 

 I feel I have been training all my life and can’t wait to attend a performance!  It makes me smile just thinking about it.

My commitment to ending illiteracy has been a lifelong journey, and a personal one, because my parents were both illiterate.  I know that the only way we are ever going to get rid of the problem of adult illiteracy is to create an entire generation of kids who love to read.

And, as important as good schools and excellent teachers are to a child’s education, the love of reading does not begin with, “See Spot run.”  It begins with funny stories of animals that can talk, and fairy-tale journeys that chronicle super-natural powers.  It begins with happy endings.  That is why I helped create the Read It LOUD! Foundation, which encourages parents to read aloud to their children for 10 minutes every day.

Read stories filled with happiness and wonderment.   Expose your children to tales of adventure and emotion.

In your heart you know that no kid really cares whether Spot runs or not.  But they can get very emotionally invested in cheering for the little mouse whose brave escapades result in winning the cheese.

If you want to leave behind something truly worth being remembered for, make your legacy a child who loves to read.

When we use the word “try,” even in our heads, we’re giving ourselves unconscious permission to fail.  Leaving the door open for failure means we don’t have to take responsibility for that failure.  After all, we tried, right?  Wasn’t that enough?  Beyond childhood we no longer get bonus points for “trying.”

So stop trying and start doing.  Stop saying, “I will try,” and start saying, “I will do.”  But the job doesn’t stop there, because once you have set your mind to do a thing you have to take responsibility for it.  Once you have done this, you will be surprised at how easy it is to accomplish something that you thought was impossible.

Now, that doesn’t mean that you will never fail.  Failure is something that comes with the territory.  But don’t give yourself permission to fail before you even start.  Give yourself permission to succeed, and you will succeed.  Maybe not the first time.  Maybe not even the second time.  But each crisis you get through makes you stronger.  With each mistake, you learn something that will prevent you from making that mistake again.  The secret is to not give up.  Just keep moving forward.  Keep “doing” and one day you will discover that what once seemed impossible has now been accomplished.

All day long, every day, we are presented with choices. We can HELP life happen or we can HOPE life will happen.  It’s up to you.  To HELP is to be proactive.

Are you a can-do person?  Have you ever surprised yourself by doing something you didn’t think you could do?

                A number of public figures have expressed their opinions about God’s place in this disaster.   Some have said that it either means God doesn’t exist or is punishing us.  I’m not sure why people feel the need to place blame.  I certainly don’t pretend to have the answers; I only know what feels right in my gut.   I am turning to prayer, which offers hope in a time of despair, comfort in times of calamity and peace in times of distress.   

                I’m praying for miracles.  I’m praying for those who are experiencing the desperation of searching for loved ones.   I’m praying that God will provide peace and comfort to the families who are grieving.   I’m praying that the orphaned children and bereaved parents find the strength to overcome this extreme hardship.    I am praying for the vanished villages and the horrific uncertainty of possible radiation.   I’m praying that God will give strength to the aid workers and medical personnel.   I’m praying for the resolve of governments and those with power to help to get involved.   I’m praying that through the generosity of the privileged, the destitute might glimpse hope, warmth and live again.  

                I’m not sure who originally said it, but I once read that as a human race we are all connected.   When one is hurt, we all hurt.  Let’s all see just how powerful prayer really is.  Have faith and trust in something greater than yourself, whatever you wish to call it.

            In my days as a talent agent, I got to know a lot of performers.  Tina Turner is a powerful force not only in music but also in life.  She and I have shared some similar experiences; she also had to go to court to fight for the right to retain her own name in business.  Tina has a wonderful way to explain how she got through that time: 

            “Sometimes you’ve got to let everything go – purge yourself.  If you are unhappy with anything . . . whatever is bringing you down,  GET RID OF IT.  Because you’ll find that when you’re free, your true creativity, your true self comes out.”

            Sometimes we not only need to rid ourselves of our junk, we need to say goodbye to the old stuff and celebrate simplifying our lives – looking forward to whatever adventure lies ahead that will fill the empty space. 

            American philosopher and teacher Joseph Campbell may have said it best:  “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us.  The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.” 

            Do you sometimes have a difficult time letting go of old stuff that has piled up?  Do you know down deep inside that you’re never really going to fix that old appliance?  Glue together that sugar bowl?  Re-use that Styrofoam packing material?

            Onward.

Maka Haouli Makahikiho or Happy New Year.

Aloha, Wally