By Mike Monopoli

Many of us resolve to improve ourselves in the New Year. But for many, planned overhauls of our personas don’t always work out like we hope they would. Instead of sabotaging your success with excessive goals, try taking small steps towards a better you. Remember to give it a positive twist, don’t say “I want to lose weight,” say instead “I want to be thin and healthy.”

Keep your eye on the prize, try visualizing yourself having and being what you want. Too many times our negative issue becomes our mantra, we chant and chant and keep getting more of the same, all the while wondering why things don’t change. Life can be challenging, but without challenges we would never have a sense of accomplishment. So much can be learned from others who’ve triumphed over severe adversity, while we lead our nearly perfect lives filled with abundance. Sure, we’re under a lot of stress, and life is more complicated than ever, but that’s all the more reason to keep our minds and bodies healthy ~ as well as to look outward at how we can improve our world.

Fortunately for the GLBT community, life is becoming more normalized and positive. We’re becoming more vital, proud and productive due to growing acceptance and appreciation by the rest of society, especially here in Massachusetts. Instead of feeling hopeless and outcast with little incentive to improve ourselves or the world, we’re now integrating into the rest of society and can feel good about being a positive influence on just about anyone, especially children.

For most of us, our resolutions will be pretty much the same as they are for straight people, further demonstrating our integration. We all want to be healthy and fit and free of destructive habits. We want to lower our cholesterol, lose some weight and get some exercise, but don’t forget that we should also be fighting for our rights, donating to charity, and contributing to our community by staying informed and politically active.

Some other popular resolutions, such as quitting smoking, getting a new job, furthering your education, or improving your financial situation can all be achieved with solid determination and a carefully devised strategy.

The path towards enlightenment can be twisted and rocky, so take your time, be good to yourself, and have a terrific New Year!