MACON, Ga. — When the clock strikes midnight and a new year begins it not only brings a sense of accomplishment about having made it another year, but also a positive feeling to set new goals.
"I try to clean up at home, try to clean my kitchen, and clean my desk. Then I try to set priorities," Charlie Thomas said.
Thomas makes changes throughout the year but knows how special the new year can be for others.
"You just hope that you're setting your mind up in a way that will carry you through," Thomas said.
Feeling the jolt of excitement about getting new things done is common for many people in the first month of the year.
"People start off with this really heightened excitement about what's going to come," Counselor Gloria Cisse said. "We create these goals, but then we don't have a real plan for making them a reality. So, when it doesn't come in fruition we think that I am the worst person in the world I cant even set a goal and make it work."
Cisse recommends setting realistic goals then, make the time to actually make a plan to achieve them. Then, make sure to track your progress.
"Take your calendar and check it off on the calendar the days that you did it. If you did it seven days that's wonderful. If you did it two days you should celebrate," Cisse said.
It can help to look for someone with similar goals that you can team up with to hold each other accountable.
"We can begin at anytime but that collective power on January 1st I think is real," Thomas said.