For the last couple of days I’ve been working on the finances. The babysitter accepted the proposed payment plan and I made the first installment to her. I have been working fervently over my lunch hours formulating a plan and listing out step by step changes I need to make to improve our situation.

This is the easy part. I am really good at this type of analysis. I have no problems taking a situation, plan, process, you name it, and dissecting it and making plans for changes and improvements. I am not the type of person that thinks things should be done a certain way just because they always have been. I like change, change that I control, change that is still predictable. I could do this all day, every day.

I do think New Years gets a bad rap because it’s a good thing to stop and take a look at what’s working and not working for you. Even the things that are already working might stand a tweak to make them that much better. Really - it’s exhilarating! I think at least once every quarter throughout the year everyone should take a day or a weekend or whatever length of time the process deserves and re-evaluate things - finances, relationships, self-care, parenting, etc. - and see where improvements can be made.

But this is where I stall. I can plan and change and plan some more. On paper. I have notebook pages filled with ideas, plans, areas to work on all in SPECIFIC detail. But I have yet to act on any of it. The planning process has this crazy momentum. It speeds along at lightening pace. But then when I look at all of the pretty, organized steps and prepare to take one - I freeze.

So I guess my greatest challenge this year is going to be actually DOING something about my situation. I don’t need advice or ideas on what changes I need to make. I need a gigantic kick in the ass to actually get going and do something. Does anyone else have this problem? Am I just a gigantic wuss? How do you move from the planning phase to the action phase without getting stuck? I am not a very disciplined person - I need all the help I can get.