I've never been a big fan of New Year’s resolutions. Quite frankly I always thought they said more about how unhappy or unsatisfied people were with their past year than about what was going to be different in the coming year. If you’re going to change your life drastically or go in some new direction, you’re going to have to do something. A New Year’s resolution isn’t a magic spell that is going to change everything.

As someone who has normally been happy with life as it is, I didn’t feel the need to make any resolutions. Yet at New Year’s parties people always ask about my resolutions, and saying I don’t have any doesn’t go over too well. It sounds like I am either smug or lazy. So for the past 10 years I just answer, "My resolution is to lose 20 lbs and make six figures." Sounds good, right? No one is going to argue with losing weight and making more money. I know it’s not going to happen and they know it’s not going to happen, but it gets me through New Years Eve.

Well, this year has been a really weird one for me, and there have been a lot of changes- some for the better, some not. My skinny pants from last year—the pants I could not fit into last New Year’s Eve—have been thrown away as they are now too big for me. So I have accomplished, somewhat inadvertently, half of my New Year’s resolution. The other half? Well it’s not something I’m counting on. What I’m really hoping for is getting back to normal; feeling happy with my life as it is.

2008 is a New Year, and I’m not going to bother with reciting my worn-out resolution of years gone by. If anyone wants it, it's free for the taking. This year I'm not making any resolutions. I’m making a plan. The plan is to build my kayaking skills, and the best way I know to do this is to attend a kayaking school. I'd encourage you to do the same. There are quite a number of good schools out there and you’ll find some of the best advertised on this site.