The New Year's Resolution

The idea of the New Year's resolution never quite made sense to me. I get the whole concept of reflecting on the year that's passed and trying to make improvements for the new one. That I understand. What troubles me is waiting until January 1 to take action. Many of the more common resolutions can be started as soon as you identify the area you'd like to improve. Let's take a look at some of the more common ones.

Fitness/health oriented - lose weight, exercise more, go to the gym, eat better, etc. - once you've identified this as an area of improvement, why not take steps right away instead of waiting for some milestone date? Hell, you may even be able to lose the weight (or whatever your goal) by Jan. 1. Another benefit, if you are joining a gym - beat the crowds, it always seems like gym attendance goes up about 500% when January 1st rolls around...

Relationship oriented - spend more time with family, friends, pets, etc. - again, if you are feeling like you are neglecting those close to you, take it to them. Plan a get together, break bread with loved ones, take your dog for a walk, whatever floats your boat. But start today!

Finance oriented - get out of debt (my personal albatross...), start saving for kids college, start saving for retirement, etc. - Do it now! Put a plan in place to pay off credit card debt, start socking away a bit of each paycheck for the college fund, no need to wait.

You get the point. Postponing corrective action only gives you "permission" to continue down the old path. Besides, who needs all the added pressure of "The Big Resolution" for the New Year?

That first step might be a bit anxiety-ridden as you adapt to the new lifestyle change, but if you stick with it, it will be routine in no time!