A New Year and New Resolutions

Tradition dictates that the first week of January is a time for both reflections and resolutions. It is a time to take stock of where we stand in our professional and personal lives, to assess where we are now in relation to where we want to be, and to determine what steps we each need to take to achieve all of our goals.

Last week, when a news correspondent was interviewing celebrities on their New Year’s resolutions, I found Jerry Seinfeld’s attitude the most refreshing. “I don’t wait for New Year’s to make resolutions,” he declared. “If I see something wrong with my life, I change it, right then and there. People who wait until New Year’s to make resolutions always end up breaking them.”

And he makes a valid point.

But the first week of a new year remains a good time to begin to make adjustments in our lives, for in one sense the slate has been wiped clean, giving us the opportunity for a fresh start. Whether it be to stay in better contact with our family and friends, to make amends at work, to better organize our home, closets, office, or garage, to shed fifteen pounds, to lower our cholesterol level, or to simplify our lives, January is as good a time as any to start.

And as one psychologist advised, we are more apt to succeed if we don’t aspire to lofty goals. I’m not going to win the Nobel Prize for Literature, but if I write just one hour more each day, I’ll finish another book this year. And if I take a longer walk after work each day and shed just one pound a week by eliminating unhealthy snacks and soft drinks, that adds up to thirteen pounds by April 1.

Those are attainable goals.

Now, cleaning out the garage?

Well, that I’m not so sure about.

Until next Monday,

Make something happen today!

Bruce