Right about now, you're probably sick of talk about New Year's Resolutions and the like. You might even be tired of hearing about ways to lose weight, gain money, and/or annihilate bad habits. I, too, get a bit overloaded (and tired of) all of the New Year's messages that we're bombarded with. The truth is, we can make a new start at any time, in any moment. We don't need a new year or a date on the calendar.

That said, why is this time of year so darned popular with making changes in one's life? I suspect it has something to do with the proximity of the holidays. Slowing down, taking time off -- these are the stuff of introspection and personal realizations. While I was away and offline (oh, how I enjoyed being disconnected from technology for a few weeks), I made some decisions about how I spend my days and what I give my time to. Rather than make resolutions, I am choosing to focus on making new choices. For me it's not about being thinner or richer (not that either of those things are bad, mind you) this year. Instead, it's about being more aligned with me.

Of course while I was away from my daily life, it was easier for me to choose differently. I had more time on my hands (the tyranny of email sure is amazing -- and not in a good way); I had more mental space; I was out of my routine and my usual surroundings. Now that I'm back and plugged in again, it's a little more challenging not only to continue to make the right choices but to even grasp that choices exist. Habit and unconsciousness are provocative, that's for sure.

I'm happy to say that I'm still choosing...