a peek ahead; new years resolutions.

Has anyone heard of making a New Year's resolution in September? Of course not. NYR's are for the end of December, after crunching through the not-so-waist-friendly holiday season. We will wake up this January 1st much like we have for years past; we'll expect the sun to be shining, our willpower to be blazing, our holiday hangover to be on its way out, and for it to be Day 1 of our journey to check off our entire New Year's Resolution list- because this year is different, right? Newsflash; studies show that of the 45% of Americans that actually make NYRs, only somewhere around 8% actually succeed.  So what gives? The stigma of the New Year's Resolution has probably deterred a large amount of people from making them in the first place, or maybe past failure has kept us from wanting to try again. When it comes down to it, I think the biggest problem is how we spend all year pushing off making new goals until the clock strikes midnight on December 31st. Stop making the excuse that you will "start next week" or "start next year". Start now. If you have something you want to achieve, you have to put an actual plan of action into place. Whether it's May or October start pushing yourself to expand your personal potential right now. Our struggle with self-improvement often comes from laziness, endless excuses, and lack of planning. Take a second today and write down a list of things you already know you want to accomplish, whether you are a NYR maker or not. Maybe you do want to lose 20 pounds, eat healthier, save money for a vacation, pay off your CC debt, or seek marriage counseling to improve your relationship. There is nothing wrong with your goal- whether big or small, seemingly impossible or just a simple walk in the park, your goals and aspirations belong to you. Don't let anyone deter you from reaching your dreams. Making your list is the simple part. It's the action part that people struggle with. If the goal is fairly large, like paying off your CC debt for example, you need to come up with checkpoints to attaining it. For example, instead of saying that you'll pay it off some point during the next 6 months, say that you will take $100 dollars out of every paycheck and put it aside, rather than making your usual trip to the shopping mall. If your resolution is losing 20 pounds, don't just go get a gym membership and say you'll go 4 times a week. Instead, look at your schedule and commit to going on certain days, or find a fun class that meets on the same days every week- routine is key! If your resolution is to eat healthier, don't just go to the store this week and buy only vegetables and diet coke. Instead, work on adding or subtracting one "bad" thing from your current diet each week. Trying to go cold turkey on your current regime will only make you more apt to fall off the bandwagon after 3 weeks and turn you into a cranky crab. Once you have determined your goal and made an action plan, you are well on your way. All the pieces are in place for you to get there in no time. There will be days of immense struggle, and days you feel like a million bucks. That is part of what comes with breaking out of your usual habits and wanting to be better. You know what they say, it's not going to be easy, but it will be worth it. No one knows you better than you know yourself. You know your darkest secrets and worst habits. What we often don't give ourselves credit for is the incredible potential we possess. Each and every one of us is capable of attaining greatness if we simply believe in ourselves, plan accordingly and commit to not stopping until we get there.