Pain for Eventual Gain

I'm a sucker for to-do lists (Remember The Milk - best iPhone app ever) and the start of every new year has me writing down ideas and tasks at break-neck speed. Truth be told, I have a love-hate relationship with my lists. I love the potential they represent but hate the pain involved to get them done. And when I think about pain, I can't help but reflect on the past few years in the market. But in this new year, talk about a rally! January was a huge positive month across the board for all the major indices. Sure, unemployment numbers didn't get worse and manufacturing figures got better. The European Central Bank is still working on a bail out though most investors think that Greece will default. So why the huge move?

I think it's like the feeling I...