I don’t know how many of you have this issue, but I’m not a “holiday” person and have always seemed to have difficulty handling the “end of the year”.

It’s taken me a long time to realize why the “end of the year” has been depressing for me but I finally figured it out.

It’s because of the way we tend to look at this time period. We look at it as if it is The END – no more, finished, over with, stopped etc.

People treat the arbitrary determination of December as an end and January as a beginning. Life is not really like that, however. It’s all a continuum and should be treated as such. We should look at December as just another month and if we do tend to get caught up in the hype of resolutions and change, etc, it should be in the face of simply reviewing where we are at any point in time and revising how we approach our lives.

I will be putting up a special report on how to look at the end of the year and your goals in the next few days but I just wanted to mention that it’s all about how you look at this time of year. Remember that your thoughts rule your life and no one is in charge of your thoughts but you! Therefore, try to look at this month as a time of celebration and joy. Actually, I think that because it’s so hectic and so filled with other activities, that this is probably the worst time you could possibly think of making any resolutions or new goals. You are too exhausted (mentally and physically to say nothing of emotionally or spiritually) and when you’re exhausted, you’re depleted. When you’re depleted is when you’re most susceptible to the outer influences of media, family, friends and more media. You’ll start seeing all the ads for gyms and weight loss products (is there ever a time they aren’t around us – sandwiched between ads for fast food of course?). So it’s easy to start feeling guilty that you’re a failure and “NEXT YEAR WILL BE DIFFERENT” – why wait til the end of the year to think or say that. Why not wait until you’re more rested and energized and then figure out what you like and don’t like about your life, what you want to change, what you can change and then how you’re going to do it. We had our “Define and Conquer 2013” last year in February for that exact reason – wait until this exciting time is over and then go for it! Let me know in the comments if you’re interested in Define and Conquer 2014.

Meanwhile, don’t add stress to your life by worrying about goals and resolutions – enjoy the season! I think some people use the first of the year coming as an excuse to really overdo it during this holiday season of FOOD and DRINK. Take a look at how you want this  to be for you. If you’re willing to pack on a couple of pounds accept it and go for it. If you want to maintain your healthy lifestyle figure out how to overcome all the temptations. Take control of your own life!

Terrie