Several months ago I posted "There's a WRONG Way and a RIGHT Way to Set Goals," which I wrote the week before Christmas. In it I talked about the right ways to set goals for the new year. I enjoyed writing that column and was delighted that so many friends told me they enjoyed reading it.

Although that article didn't cover setting daily goals, after writing it I began setting three goals that I wanted to accomplish each day. At night I wrote in my notebook three specific things that I planned to definitely get done the following day - no matter what. Just three!

And then - all hell broke loose.

But a little background first. I am blessed with the most awesome, loving, fabulous family and this past Christmas we all (except my son and his

daughters) pot-lucked at my house. There were 17 family members gathered around my big table and harmony reigned as the house was full of happy chatter, laughing, eating, and clowning around.

Later that evening ten went home and six others set up camp in my house, while pillows and comforters and tri-fold mattresses came out of their closet home to add to the chaos.

What happened next proved once again that John Lennon was right when he said, "Life is what happens when you're making other plans."

Picture this - on second thought - don't picture it: the septic system backed up and my bathroom floor flooded. It was ankle-deep and since there's no lip on my walk-in shower, the fluids just continued winding their way under the cabinet and out into the hallway - soaking my white carpeting. (Yes, white! When I insisted on white for carpeting the whole bedroom level here in New Mexico, I was still in New Jersey, blissfully unaware of New Mexico mud - and I didn't have a dog.) "Mess" is too weak a word to describe what I had to deal with.

You don't need the details of how I bailed and cleaned up for seven straight hours and ripped out the carpeting in the hallway the next day. The real point of this story is that "stuff" always happens. While dealing with this domestic disaster, I realized the most important "goal" every day is awareness consciousness - monitoring the state of my own consciousness - and totally accepting "what is." And that's what I did.

It didn't change what was happening in my manifested world but it certainly helped me keep a sense of humor and stay focused in the "now."

What does this have to do with growing younger? Everything. The number one aging factor is stress, which doesn't come from what's happening to us, but from our reaction to what's happening. The cells in our body respond to our consciousness, as the new scientific field of epigenetics shows us.

Prominent cell biologists like Dr. Bruce Lipton tell us that our reaction to each new experience triggers genetic changes in our cells.

If what you're experiencing makes you want to tear your hair out and scream at the top of your lungs, go ahead. In the beginning. You don't want to suppress your frustration and have it explode with more force later. But then start creating a habit of practicing awareness consciousness by watching your thoughts. You'll be amazed at how calm you can be when all hell breaks loose.

If you want joyful, happy, healthy cells, train yourself to be aware of what's in your consciousness and be okay with "what is" - no matter what stuff is happening when you're making other plans.