New Year's Resolution

It's that time of year again...resolution time. Oftentimes people make resolutions to lose weight or get out of debt or start a new business. All of which are great, but are external.

This year focus on the internal you...

• Determine to achieve emotional healing from a break-up or divorce.
• Re-establish who you are in your new single role.
• Make a commitment to re-build family relationships. It is therapeutic!
• Commit to replace negative feelings (bitterness, anger, strife) with positive feelings (peace, hope, love).
• Terminate toxic relationships. You know the kind that evoke pain at contact or leave you feeling empty and drained.
• If all else fails, don't be embarrassed to seek counseling. It works!

Sometimes resolutions are difficult to keep. Make sure they are S-M-A-R-T:

1. Specific - be very clear about what you hope to achieve.
2. Measurable - identify ways to measure your progress.
3. Achievable - don't try to boil the ocean. Even if your resolution is lofty, break it down into smaller, easily attainable chunks.
4. Relevant - setting resolutions for the sake of setting them is a waste of time. Commit to a resolution that is meaningful to you and makes you a better person.
5. Time-bound - don't commit to resolutions that will take you five years to achieve. It should be achievable in its totality during 2008.

Involve your close friends and/or relatives by sharing your resolution and asking them to hold you accountable. Make 2008 your year of emotional success!

A Different Type of End

While you may have experienced either an unexpected or expected break-up or divorce this year, don't allow the event to overshadow your entire year. As 2007 comes to an end, take the time to reflect on both the good and the bad. How can you repeat the good in 2008? How can you avoid the bad in 2008? Even more importantly, what lessons can you learn from the bad? Sometimes the best lessons ever learned come from what we perceive to be the worst experiences.

You have two days to think and reflect in preparation for making your 2008 New Year's resolutions. Make them wisely!