Tuesday, Jan. 15 2013 10:44AM

COMMENTARY

Discover who you want to be or already are

By Janice Jacoby

Guest columnist

Because it is a new year does that mean there has to be a new you? What’s wrong with the old you? You made it this far, so why do you have to change so much? We can all use a little tweaking now and again, but do you really need to make resolutions? I understand making goals, but if you make goals on a regular basis some of them will be for a whole year, but a lot of them will be shorter. So what happens when you achieve that goal, do you have to wait for a new year to make more goals? The answer is no.

I believe we should make multiple goals to meet all throughout the year. So many people will make the goal to lose weight, exercise more or something that has to do with getting healthier. I congratulate you on making that goal, but if you haven’t met your goal in February and give up that doesn’t mean you have to wait until the following year to tweak your goal and start again. Sometimes we are not going to meet our goals in the time that we allotted ourselves, and that’s ok. That doesn’t mean you failed it just means you shot high and missed it by just a little, or maybe a lot. Guess what? You can try again and achieve it.

Some people are so over the hype of New Year’s resolutions that they have just given up. I ask you to please reconsider. It is good to have things to shoot for; if you don’t have something to strive for each day why do you get up every morning? We have been given this beautiful gift of life. And we live in amazing country and land of opportunity, even if we don’t like some of the changes currently happening. Depending on where you are at in your life you might feel a little stuck and feel like you just exist, we have all been there and it is a tough rut to get out of, but you can. You have to have faith, hope and the desire to get out and start living, really living your life. Make a goal and plan the steps you need to take to become who you really want to be.

Wherever you are in your life, do you want something different for yourself this year? Do you want something different for the loved ones in your life? You might not need to make major changes; it might be something that is just simple. Step back and take a look to see what you need to do move yourself in a little different direction.

Maybe the things you should be doing aren’t even physical things. Maybe getting up early or running or eating differently isn’t even in the cards for you. You might be doing all of that already. Maybe your attitude needs to change and be more positive, maybe you need to forgive people who have hurt you in the past or are currently hurting you, and maybe believing in yourself more is something that needs to happen. Why can’t these be your goals or your resolutions? Stress and mental fatigue are something that a lot of people deal with on a regular basis, but never truly address. Maybe you should do a check up from the neck up? Therapy is not a bad word and your friends might appreciate you venting to someone other than them.

Take some time to sit down and figure out who you want to be, you may not be far off from that person. If you are happy with yourself and your business maybe you should be trying to help others achieve their dreams and desires; give back what you know. We all have a purpose in this life that has been given to us, what is yours and how can you live it to the fullest?

Janice Jacoby, has been in the health and wellness field professionally since 2002.