The majority of the holiday hustle and bustle is coming to an end. This week we get a breather.  This is the week that if you are anything like me you are probably bloated, broke and burned out. This is the week where you look back at the past 365 days and say, “Where did it go?”, “What did I accomplish?”, “What ever happened to last year's resolutions?”. It’s that week where we start the obligatory planning of all of the things we are going to do better or different or more or less for the impending trip around the sun. 

I find it fairly simple to take a piece of paper and jot down five to ten things that I want to accomplish next year. I can even create a game plan to achieve those goals. I make sure that my goals are measurable, attainable, and clear. Yet, year after year many of those aspirations fall to the wayside. Maybe it's commitment issues, maybe they were just bad goals or maybe I didn't find my “why”. 

Goals are generally “I” statements. I will, I want, I promise to. And this is great. You can not make someone else make you reach the finish line. However you must also make the “why” an “I”. If you strive to lose 15 pounds so your office crush four cubes over notices you, or if you promise to be on time everyday so that your team will be proud of you, or even if you commit to buying one less useless item online each week so that your significant other doesn't judge your shopping indiscretions, you have a greater chance calling it quits. The pot of gold isn't yours when you change to make someone else happy. The benefits of conquering a goal that does not involve personal payoff is easier to give up on. Invest your time and efforts into what you feel is important. Lose the 15 so YOU feel more confident. Be on time so that  YOU are more productive. Lay off uselesscrap.com, so that YOU are financially stable. 

Don't wait. The goals you are setting now are important to you and they deserve attention. Start with little changes and build yourself up to that first big day of the year. Put down the Christmas cookies, buy the planner and resist the urge to clearance shop for new village pieces. Success can not be achieved overnight but creating new habits early on will increase your chances of achievement. 

Chances are at some point in the next year you will find that leftover peanut buttery chocolate covered tree shaped delicacy and lose all self control. You will probably be late or miss a deadline at least once. And even if you caved and bought two cart loads full of discounted Christmas decorations, you haven't failed. You had a moment of weakness and you have the power to recover from it. One wrong turn does not derail the entire trip, it simply makes you human. 

In the spirit of accountability, I am sharing one of New Year's goals for all the RemanU world to see. In 2022, my personal goal is to be nicer so that I feel more secure in my relationships. It may sound silly to you, but ask the kids, it's a struggle. 

See ya next year!