Change is all around us each day in small and big ways. From the quiet things like a new bud opening on a stem to the less tangible things like realizing our babies have blossomed into young adults to nature’s changes like a clear sky one day and a blizzard the next. Some we take for granted, while others are hard to ignore.

Sometimes change just happens. Some we have no control over like the weather or other people. The only thing that is dependable about change is that we know it will occur. More importantly, some changes we can decide to make happen. That’s when life gets exciting.

Perhaps you’ve spent time thinking about some changes you’d like to make. Your thinking time is essential. It gives you a chance to ponder and define what is important to you. It lets you evaluate what is working well in your life and what is not. However, change will not occur by just thinking. Action has to accompany the changes you seek.

So, what am I really talking about? Let’s say that your clutter overwhelms you and you just don’t want to live with that level of stress anymore? You have reached a critical point because you’ve identified both what you do and don’t want. You don’t want clutter and stress. You do want more clarity and calm. It is important to have figured out this part. Now what?

For some, identifying the issue is enough to help put action into motion. For many others, the thoughts will never move to the action steps without assistance. So, if you are able to make the changes on your own, go to it with gusto! If however, you can’t figure out the next action step, there is no need to struggle on your own. Enlist help from a friend, family member or professional.

You can achieve the changes you desire either on your own or by asking for help. Change will happen. It’s up to you to decide which ones you want to play the leading role.

So here we are, half way through the first month of the New Year. The time has zoomed by since January first! How are you doing with your goals and resolutions for 2010? Maybe you haven’t taken the time yet to set goals for this year. Or, perhaps you set your goals, but have been distracted by living life as you know it instead of focusing on the changes you want to make.

I am definitely in the latter group. I’ve set my goals, but have been doing more thinking and processing than acting. I’ve realized that some goals I will be able to accomplish on my own, while others, I will need to enlist help to complete.

When I published my book this past year, I did a lot of the beginning work myself. My manuscript was mostly written; I’d researched various book publishing options and resources. But at a point, I knew that the project would not move ahead any further without building a team of people that had expertise beyond what I knew. Once I gathered the team, the project moved along quickly. Enlisting the right help was an essential ingredient in achieving my goal.

Change is difficult for most of us. We have a vision of where we are headed and then have to figure out how we’re going to get there. This can involve many things like altering habits, learning new things, getting help in areas we are less proficient and maintaining the energy and focus needed to propel ourselves forward. This process takes time and patience.

So as month one of the New Year is about to end, use these next few weeks to plan, refocus and figure out what you need to accomplish your 2010 goals. Do not feel disappointed if the first few weeks weren’t all action, action, action. Sometimes we just need time to let the ideas marinate before we are ready to do. If you need more time to think, take the time to do so. If you know you need help to accomplish your goals, start reaching out.

It’s a new year, a new decade and a time to begin again. The very nature of being day one, month one suggests a new start. What will this year be like for you? If thinking about the entire year seems overwhelming, just start with today. How will it be different from the past 365 days? How would you like it to be different?

This time of year, many of us make resolutions. Are you thinking about eating better, exercising more, getting organized, spending more time with family and friends or finding a better life balance with less frenzy and more fun? Particularly at this time of year, I love the opportunity to start over with a clean slate of possibilities.

For the past bunch of years, we’ve enjoyed our family tradition of welcoming in the New Year. We bring in our favorite food from a local Indian restaurant, play games, watch movies, stay up late and eat junk food.  Yes, I know.  Junk food isn’t the healthiest choice. However, it’s the one night we let ourselves indulge without guilt. Part of our tradition also includes writing in our New Year’s journal. After dinner, while still around the table, we record our memories of the year that has just ended and our goals for the year that’s about to begin.  We also like reading what we wrote the previous year to remember what happened and reflect on how we did with our goals.

So while I made time last night to think about my 2010 goals, today I have chosen not to act on them yet, but instead just enjoy this very quiet, still winter’s day with my family. We have a few more games, movies and left over food (nutritious and otherwise) to enjoy. Tomorrow is another day with plenty of time to begin again. By tomorrow, the Tate’s chocolate chip cookies, York Peppermint Patties and Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Chocolate Chip ice cream will be gone, which is a good thing. Their disappearance will make way for my “eating more healthfully” resolution.

I’d love to hear from you. If you would like to share one of your goals or resolutions for 2010, I welcome your thoughts.

Life is all about moments big and small. Sometimes the events are so small and fleeting that we don’t recognize them as significant. We don’t always stop to appreciate them or even understand how those small, seemingly, non-events play an important part in something larger. At other times, we become acutely aware of the role those tiny actions make in bringing us to that one giant goal we seek.

For me, the process of accomplishing a large goal usually starts with two things: a thought and a list. Now I don’t know about you, but I love making lists. I use them to help me remember the simple things like “Buy milk, cereal and toilet paper” to the more complex and long term items such as “Write a book.” I rely on my various lists to remind and guide me through life. If any of you are list makers, I’m sure you will appreciate that one of the most satisfying parts of completing an item from the list is grabbing a nice, thick pen and energetically crossing the item off. Done!  Aaahhh. Even though I know that new items will pop-up the moment one thing is crossed off, I am never discouraged. This is just a fact of life. If you are living, there will always be things to do and accomplish. That’s a good thing.

On my “Master To Do List,” that resides prominently on my desk, one item remained on the list for years. It said, “Write organizing book.”  Every time I’d update the list, I’d carry over this particular item year after year. That thought might horrify some of you. But the truth is that certain things take time to accomplish. Any big project or change includes many small steps and commitments.

Something different happened in 2009. At the beginning of the year, I decided that this one reoccurring item would be accomplished before the year’s end. The time had come to commit the resources and energy needed to complete this goal.  Over the years, there had been a lot of preparation and research. Do you remember those small actions I mentioned earlier? Many actions took place along the way to help me reach my big goal.

So the other day, when my first boxes of books arrived, I decided it was time to pick up a pen and cross “Write organizing book” off my list!  As I drove the red felt tip through those words, it almost felt surreal that the book was actually finished, printed and in my hands. What followed were a sigh, a smile and some joyful tears.