I Resolve to Never Make a New Year's Resolution!

I'm so excited to be in 2011! Every year gets better than the last and I look forward to all of the opportunities, joys and excitement that this New Year has in store for me. I am embracing being 30 and enjoying watching as my kids grow, learn and explore. My business continues to do well and publishing my first two books last year was amazing. I am one grateful woman! Now, it's time to address...what's next?

That brings me to the hype of New Year's resolutions. We like to think that the New Year brings us a clean slate. We can lose the weight that snuck up on us, kick a smoking habit, decide to make better financial decisions or eliminate the toxic people in our lives. It's all great in theory. There's no better investment than an investment in ourselves.

However, some studies show that as few as 5% of people achieve their New Year's resolutions. I know I'm nicknamed the "One Percenter" but those aren't odds that even I want a part of. Our society and the media drown us in New Year's resolution pressure. Commercials, news stories and promotions entice us to want to do better but the moment we slack for a mere second, we consider ourselves failures. What a hit for morale!

Research has shown that creating many small goals throughout the year tend to be far more effective than setting one large resolution that is hard to live up to. As an exmple, start by resolving to become more physically active, instead of saying you need to lose 50lbs. in two months. Once you become more active, you will feel proud and accomplished and feel positive about moving on to your next goal...perhaps cutting back on calories or eating more vegetables. By making these smaller changes, you are ultimately getting closer to your goal of losing weight.

I make changes for myself throughout the year. I don't set a schedule because you never know when you will be ready to fully commit. But, when I wake up feeling motivated and determined and know it's time for a positive adjustment in my life, I go for it! More times than not, I am successful. We can't win them all but as long as we continually head in the right direction, it should be considered a victory!

Believe in yourself, your strength, your determination and your abilities.

Salut to your "tabula rasa"(clean slate) all year round!