New Year’s resolutions often focus on behaviors we’d like to change, negative habits we’d like to leave behind. How many of us have pledged that THIS would be the year we stop smoking, eat less fast food, stop making excuses and work out more often? These kinds of efforts focus on what we are lacking, a position of want and negativity. What if, instead, we attended to the choices we are making that benefit us, and commit to continuing with those behaviors? Are you a loyal and dedicated friend? A creative cook? Maybe you are a voracious reader, or skilled at crossword puzzles. You are known for your sentimental greeting cards, or appreciated for your unflagging memory of loved ones’ birthdays. All small acts, perhaps, but generated from an energy of abundance and current agency. These choices are ones we know we can make because we are currently making them. And continuing current behaviors is easier and requires less effort than developing new habits. In addition, focusing on our positive traits, what we like and appreciate about ourselves, has a payoff in self-esteem and competency. Embrace your strengths, your resilience, the unique things about you that make you YOU. Change can be exciting and challenging, but who we are NOW can be as valuable gift as any we can share with ourselves and others.