It’s that time of year again, folks. Weight Watchers gains a bunch of new subscribers, Planet Fitness memberships increase, people buy new planners with fancy pens and everyone decides that this will be their year. If this is you, I truly wish you the best of luck. Lose those 20 pounds, be more organized, spend less money at Market Square, actually do the reading for class. It’s never a bad thing to start fresh and try new things, but hear me out first. I was never one who understood New Year resolutions.

You don’t have to meet strict deadlines, and it is OK to go at your own pace. I realize the New Year brings in a new start for people, but you can choose a fresh start anytime you want. Routines can be nice, but if you are in a slump, try something new. And guess what? People will so easily start something in the beginning of January and then quit by February saying “I might as well try again next year.”  What’s wrong with trying something new on Jan. 23? Or Feb. 12, or March 7, or even May 30. You get what I’m saying? Every day you wake up and put your feet on the floor is a new day for you to do something radical in your life. There’s no need to wait until the ball drops again. My other problem that rolls on in at the start of the new year is the immediate negativity. I see posts all over social media about how he or she hasn’t had a good year since 2015, or even pushing it back to 2005, or some who are even more daring claim they haven’t had a good year since they were a fetus.

Come on guys and gals, let’s have a little positivity. You can make 2019 your year. In fact, you can make any year your year. Try to focus on the good, choose happiness, and push the negativity under the rug. Now, this is different from all the posts we see on Twitter claiming that 2019 is all about self-improvement.

Call your mom every Friday, eat at a new place downtown, read that book that’s been collecting dust, go for a run (or a walk), go to the Carnegie Museum (did you know we get in for free?). 

Let’s make 2019 a year to remember because it was the year you finally started to choose happiness, instead of waiting for the happiness to find you.