As the sun rose on the last day of 2009, I was enjoying a relaxing vacation away from home. Unfortunately, my home was being robbed at the time. I don’t say this to get sympathy, but only to make a point.

Nothing personal was damaged or stolen, and more importantly, our cats were fine. And to look on the bright side, this new year now provides us with a fresh start. Not just with new stuff, but a chance to start again and do things better (starting with a security system).

And that’s the point. When you’re afraid to change because you’re tied to doing things the way you’ve always done them, it can take something drastic to force you to change.

But what’s better? Waiting until a crisis when everything is in turmoil and you have to change, or looking ahead and acting ahead of time?

What didn’t you do last year because you were afraid to change or because you kept putting it off? Take the opportunity of a new year to do it now.