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The holidays are over. New Year's resolutions are fresh and waiting to be utlized. New members have joined gyms in the hopes that they will get in shape in the new year. People are eating healthier and feeling good about the year to come. And how are you feeling? Did you make any resolutions? It all seems quite daunting when you think about the committment you have made to yourself to be a better you. It is a noble aspiration, to be better at something, but often times can lead to disappointment as people fail to follow through with their goals. One thing that we always hear around this time of year is that people are really going to "make a change". They want everything to be different and think that the new year will be the answer to their past shortcomings. Then, after a few days or weeks of dedication, people find themselves back in their old habits. Here is the secret to making New Year's resolutions stick... make them small and attainable! Set bench marks to raise your goals and reward yourself for achieving them! If joining a gym and working out every day seems like a dream come true, but a reality in Neverland, you need to get real. You don't want to waste your money on something that you will never use. Instead, make a committment to going for a walk at least 3 times a week for 20 minutes. Then, if you can stick with that for a month, ramp it up to walking 5 days a week for 20 minutes. If you achieve goal #2, reward yourself with a massage or another healthy treat. Three months down the road, if you are still walking 5 days a week, join a gym and get a trainer (you only need a few sessions to get you started). This same message translates to eating (or drinking or any other change you want to make). Take small steps and as you achieve those goals, challenge yourself until you feel happy with what you have accomplished. If eating healthy is your thing, start by eating a healthy breakfast. Personally, I find that if I eat a piece of fruit and a cup of yogurt in the morning, I feel good about having eaten at least one good meal a day and then I am less likely to go crazy later. I like treats, but am trying not to eat so many. It is all about moderation, as they say... Be good to yourself, not hard on yourself. If you find that you are having a hard time with your choices and habits, it might help to look at what you are getting from those behaviors that you are not willing to part with. If it is really a problem, you might consider finding a good friend to talk to about it or even a support group or therapist. A new year is the start of a new opportunity to love yourself and treat yourself well. Even though we are on the second day of 2008, take this time to look at yourself and find ways that you can be a better you without making yourself miserable. Enjoy your life and look to others for help if you need it. Life is about making the world a better place, so start with you and have a healthy and happy new year!
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Communication 
