Happy New Year!

The end of an old year and the start of a new one is always a special time. Whether it be New Year resolutions or just a new attitude, it is a chance  to start afresh. Of course, by this point in January most people are struggling to stay the course with their resolutions, and many fall back into the same old habits. They say it takes 28 days to create a new one, good or bad, and ultimately every year will be made up by the decisions that we make…good or bad.

 Let’s think about our routines for a moment. A routine is something you do every day without fail, so that eventually, like brushing your teeth or putting on your seatbelt, you do it without conscious thought. Just as investments compound over time, so do our daily actions.  If they are good they take us down one path.  If they are bad or destructive, they take us down a completely different path.

I firmly believe that if  you want to improve your life, you must improve your decisions.  I believe the most important element in making good decisions is making conscious decisions.  This is when you actually consider the pros and cons of your decisions before making them.  I am convinced most people float through life making decisions on the fly, with little if any thought, only to find themselves wondering why they aren’t happy, healthy, or successful.

If we are fortunate to live a long life, we’ll eventually experience  every range of feeling based on decisions that we have made. My resolution this year is to try and keep making good conscious decisions…it may not always happen and as a result the consequences may not always be what I want, but I’m not going to stop making them.   Where would the fun be in that?