New Year’s resolutions get a bad rap. Statistically, they barely make it past week two, nobody keeps them, etc. Everyone rolls their eyes when you put yours on display. I say defy the odds! If you want to make changes in your life, any day is a good day to begin. If New Year’s Day fills you with hope and motivation, go for it! Prove them wrong!

Seriously, I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions myself. I set goals and revise goals all the time, including the New Year. Birthdays are great for taking stock & planning for the future. When school starts back in the fall, I still get a renewed sense of “back to school” enthusiasm even though I haven’t been in school for many years. But truly, any given day when you decided to make a change is a good day.

And, the change doesn’t have to be monumental. Tiny changes can have big impact. Forget losing 50 pounds, try just one. Don’t bother changing every bad habit; just add one new great one: Eat a vegetable every day this week. Go for a walk. Drink more water today. Hug your spouse even if he hasn’t remembered to take out the trash one time without being reminded. Ever. Encourage your kid to run for class president or learn hip-hop dancing. Take cookies to your neighbor. Read a book. Mend some broken fences, literally and figuratively. Donate a dollar or an hour to a cause you believe in. Take one baby step toward owning your own business.

Whatever is causing you pain and stress, just take a small step to make it better. Do it January 1. Or better yet, do it today, (whatever day that may be.) Keep doing it. Practice does make perfect. (Of course, there's something to be said for knowing when to quit, but most of us never get there. We give up on our dreams way too easily.)

People prove every single day that humans can set and achieve goals of monumental significance, either to them or to the world. They do it in the face of incredible odds and snarky relatives. They do it without adequate resources and they do it when they don’t even feel like it. You can, too. And, if a New Year’s Resolution is your personal starting gate, I say go for it. Declare it and own it! You’ll be miles ahead of those who never even get off the couch to make a change.

And, if you fall off the wagon by January 15? Get right back on. That’s the key to everything. Just keep trying until you are living the life you want to live. And, then, tell the story of how your New Year’s Resolutions or your March 27th goals helped you get there so that others may learn from your example.

Happy New Year & Happy New You!