I'm writing this on New Year's Day 2012 and I'm reading a plethora of resolutions, lists, suggestions, recommendations and nudges of what we should and shouldn't be doing and whatever it is, we need to start right now.  Researchers say January is a high volume month for starting or quitting stuff.  At my gym--as it is so every January--the place is packed with "New Year's Resolutioners."  By the time we're immersed in "March Madness," January's new born devotees to fitness will have coolly and quietly disappeared.

Years ago, I decided to not begin or end anything in January, mostly because everyone else was doing it or guilt-tripped into doing it, which I found annoying. I did consider the possibility that I had the wrong attitude about it: "Maybe I'm the problem. Maybe I need each January to act as my measuring stick to tell whether I'm successful or a schmuck. Perhaps, just maybe, every new year I should stop and assess my life, work, goals and purpose?"

Naw.

I do it all the time (for better or worse) and you have certainly read about it in this blog. 

Instead, I'm trying to remember the last time I officially gave up on anything or for that matter, anyone. I have had other people decide the end point for me, and that's not fun, yet I'm no victim either. The decisions I make are ultimately my own and I'll take responsibility for them, right or wrong.

What about you?

Everyone stops and starts on their own timeline. Do not be pressured to start something just because everyone else does. Do not be pressured to enter into anything you cannot or have no intention of finishing. It's OK to walk away. But before you go, have a good idea of where you are headed and why you are going there. I have told many that the projects I work on now started 10+ years ago because I built relationships first and then acted prudently along the way.

Join a gym, but get a trainer. Quit a job, but first have a mentor guide your next move. Take initiative at work, but do so collaboratively. Make decisions, but in consultation with a trusted source. Be a rebel, but not an ass.

Oh and Happy New Year.