Happy 2016 everyone!

I wrote the following about resolutions just a year ago. It still very much applies to my life today, so I thought I’d share it again.

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New Year’s resolutions get a bad rap.

That’s probably because they have the life span of a gnat. Usually.

It takes a tremendous amount of will-power and discipline to stick with something beyond a “honeymoon” two-week period following the excitement of the holidays.

Some of you can feel the stares from your spouse already. Or the whispers. Looks like she’s fallen off the wagon early this year, he might say to himself when he sees you down a whole cheesecake on January 6. In your defense, it did have fruit on top, so that’s something.

But just because a good habit is stopped doesn’t mean it was a bad idea in the first place. Far from it. Good habits are always good ideas. A list of personal improvements or goals is an excellent way to take inventory of your life.

The point all of us making resolutions have to remember is this: don’t let the cheesecake on January 6 define us.

The great thing about being human is that everyday starts out with the sun rising. The past is exactly that. We have a new opportunity to start anew and do all those things that we didn’t do yesterday. A New Year’s resolution is all about staying positive, being optimistic that despite yesterday’s failure, today is the day I’m going to lick it! (I don’t mean the cheesecake.)

So perhaps instead of having New Year’s resolutions, we need to have daily resolutions. What am I going to do today to improve my quality of life? What am I going to do today to be a positive influence on those around me? What am I going to do today to get one step closer to kicking that bad habit of mine that’s been bugging me?

Go ahead and make those resolutions. Push forward and encourage others to do the same. Don’t bash them or give them the “I told you so” when they fail to fulfill their commitment. If we can do these simple steps, I think we will help everyone’s lives to be a little bit better.