This is the week for reflection and resolution. There is something that takes place mentally as an old year is fast moving away and a New Year is approaching. There is much to be said about new beginnings, starting fresh, and deciding that changes are going to be made in your life.

Each year at this time, I look back over the previous 51 weeks by taking a few minutes to reflect upon all that has happened, and looking over the list of resolutions that were made as the year began. This has proven to be a helpful habit. Usually, I find that the decisions that were made as a New Year began are long forgotten in the hurry of the past year. With the fast-paced life the majority of us live today, it has been said that we react to what is going on around us rather than planning to deal with behavior, issues, or goals we set as the year begins.

Are you going to make New Year's resolutions this year? Tell us in the comments.

Following Christmas every year, various deals are paraded before us to inform us that as the New Year begins, exercise is the operative word. The shopping channels on television and the sports stores cut the prices on all of their active exercise equipment because many people, after stuffing during the holidays, are determined to take off those extra pounds they put on in the previous year. We also know that sitting in many homes today (usually covered in clothes) is a piece of exercise equipment bought in the early part of a New Year with full determination that the year ahead would be the beginning of a lifestyle change leading to a healthier long life. Surveys indicate that usually within the first forty-eight hours into a New Year, the resolution to eat healthier and to exercise properly has already been abandoned.

The question then, that must be asked is; “Are we ever serious about making real, significant changes in our habits and lifestyle choices?” For the majority of people we are told the answer is “No!” There are a small percentage of folks, however, that discover they have the courage and discipline necessary to follow through on commitments and lifestyle changes they desire to make their life better.

The year ahead, 2012, is going to be one of the most important years in my lifetime in the political world. We are facing major decisions about the direction we want to see our state and nation go. While I will make resolutions to adjust certain habits related to food intake and exercise, the most important decisions for me will revolve around the political ones. To make the right decisions will require being informed on the issues, knowing the positions of the candidates, and having the courage to stand on my principles when making a choice as to the person or party that will get my vote. From where I stand, this is the year I am going to keep my political resolutions.