Have you ever revisited your priorities because of some unexpected external shove? That recently happened to me. It all started when my router coughed its last breath and went off to router heaven. I was stranded, alone, disconnected, afloat in the sea of internet loneliness. Until, well, you’ll just have to click on in to read the rest …

If you’re a blogger, you know a dashboard is more than the place you instinctively glance to check your speed when you pass a police car. A blog’s dashboard is where much of the behind-the-scenes work of a site happens, allowing us to individualize the appearance and functionality of our blogs. But these same characteristics can also be found in our own lives as well. What’s on the dashboard of your life?

In the spirit of the New Year and as a reflection of the human desire to rise to the moral occasion, here is a list of 45 suggestions to become a little more devoted to timeless principles in our ongoing effort at becoming a better person in 2012.

Obsession is a lot like holding a flame in your hand. It is powerful and can produce the heat of passion and power and drive. But it can also consume and destroy. The trick is to keep the flame burning without succumbing to the temptation to aim the heat too exclusively at a single target. But to be obsessed with life is to be obsessed with making use of every moment, of appreciating the ebb and flow of living. I recommend 6 obsessions here that can improve your life and make 2012 an amazing year.

What do you love most in life? Do your actions reflect that love? My son taught me a valuable lesson one evening camping out in the backyard in a tent. The moment was beautiful. The lesson will be lasting. I invite you to come read (and see how amazingly adorable my son is) as you reevaluate your values and priorities at the feet of a 5-year-old little boy.