“The life you have led doesn’t need to be the only life you have."
- Anna Quindlen

Although the fall season began over a month ago, the recent time change and the drop in temperatures (at least in Las Vegas) really hits it home that the holiday season is here and that the new year is just around the corner! And with the new year typically comes new focus, new energy and new life in general. It’s a time when many reset and restart on a path that they wish to follow, usually to correct a path they realized they never intended to travel in the first place.

Of course I’m referring to the ever-so-popular New Year’s resolution. Although the idea of a New Year’s resolution has merit, a large majority of them go unfulfilled. And to make matters worse, people will often think about a New Year’s resolutions now, but wait two months before they actually begin to implement one!

We, humans, have an awesome power we possess that allows us to forge a new path to a life we wish to lead. It may not always come easy, and there will likely be many obstacles along the way, but the life we have led does not need to be the only life we have.

As I often reference, our professional life and our personal life go “hand in glove.” Change we experience in one aspect of our lives will largely affect the other. It’s important we reflect on the positives and negatives we see in our lives (whether personal or professional) and begin to find ways to give more attention to the positives and less to the negatives. If we’re not happy with our job, or with a certain aspect of our life, then it is up to us to make a change to help forge a new path that will lead to more happiness. To do that we need to find a way to understand what it is we’re after and what we need to do to make it happen.

Let’s not wait for a new year to start on the new path. Let’s think about what we’d like to accomplish next year and start planning now to make sure that it will happen. If we want more from our job, let’s start learning and pursuing new skills that will help lead us to where we want to go. If we want to lose weight, let’s rid the household of bad foods and begin new habits now. If we want to be more fulfilled with what we’re doing in life, then let’s start planning now how we’re going to make that happen. We don’t have to wait for the calendar to flip to January 1st, we can start our new year today.

Here's the Point:
Don’t wait for the new year to start living a new life. Think about what you hope to achieve in 2014 and start on the path today.