This week is one of my favorites weeks of the entire year because I love fresh starts. As Anne Shirley states in Anne of Green Gables, "tomorrow is always fresh with no mistakes in it". The new year is a time that we set resolutions and strive to make the next year better than the last.

I do not make resolutions. (No offense meant if they work for you!) Go to a gym on January 5th and make a note of the number of people working out or filling out paperwork to start their membership. Go back to the gym on March 5th and the gym will not be nearly as busy. Why? Because it is way too easy to give up on a resolution. To make a resolution "stick" there must be a "why" or driving force behind it. Why do you want to workout 5 days a week? Why do you want to save an extra $50 a month?

I prefer to make goals for the new year. This week, I will spend some time working on all my goals for 2016. I will set goals for several different areas of my life (school, health, relationships, fitness, etc). I have found that goals are more attainable than resolutions. I start by stating the goal, adding action items to achieve it, and listing what motivates me to achieve the goal. What motivates me to achieve the goal is the "why" behind each goal. I make it as specific as I can. But, most importantly, I try to add something tangible to the "why" to make it as visual as possible.

An example of one of my goals from last year was to lose weight. One of the reasons I wanted to lose weight was to be able to shop at Victoria's Secret and carry the small pink bag around the mall containing clothes that I could wear. That is an experience that I could visualize to make the goal personal. I could see myself walking around the mall carrying the small stripped pink bag.

So, if you make resolutions or set goals for the new year, try to find your "why". If you do, I think you will be pleasantly surprised at the results.

-Celebrating every step

#53rbr