Friends and Relatives

Whether you greet the New Year with a roar or with a meow, odds are that you've given more than passing thought to where your life stands now, and where you want it to lead.

But if you haven't taken a complete inventory of all aspects of your life and made a to-do list for the next year, no need to worry. We've asked an expert to suggest ways in which you can start or continue to put your house in order. After all, why let another year pass by before making changes that can improve your life right now?

A word of caution, though. As with any list of good intentions, some are easier than others. Set yourself up for success by choosing "resolutions" that are do-able for you right now and tackle them. Then pick some that you can visualize as long-term goals and work on them a bit at a time. Jot them down, tape them to your bathroom mirror, and keep them in your everyday consciousness. A year from now, take time to congratulate yourself on how much closer you are to living the life you want to live.

By Melissa Davis

• Encourage your girlfriends to be confident in themselves. Regardless of their size, your gal pals probably battle with self-confidence issues, too. Strive to be their encourager, their admirer and their biggest cheerleader. We all need to feel adored!
• Tell your loved ones why you love them. It can be easy to say "I love you," but taking it one step further and expressing to them exactly how they have forever touched your life can be difficult. Time is of the essence, so make it a priority to tell them (in person, through a phone call or card, or even via email) because life is fleeting.
• Smother those who hurt you with lots of kindness. Sometimes there are those in your life with whom you just can't see eye-to-eye. If you can't work out the problem then let it go and take the high ground. Don't give them the pleasure to see you angry or cry-simply smile, dig deep for kind words and move on. You are in control.
• Reach out to those of a different generation. Some of the best bonds are formed between those whose birth dates are decades apart. Make it a point to befriend someone who might be considerably younger than you-even a child-or someone who is quite older than you. Everyone has something to give you and to teach you, so keep your mind open.
• Renew friendships that have drifted apart. It can be awkward to rekindle a flame of unity that blew out long ago, but more than likely, your old friend misses you just as much as you miss her or him. Don't put it off-seek your friend out, get together, relive old memories and create new ones. Once a friend, always a friend.