Photo: Contributed - http://www.facebook.com/MadMen

So begins another year filled with so much promise, hope and happiness for all.

I want to wish everyone a very happy new year and I hope you partied hard over the holidays and didn’t let anyone stop you from doing what you wanted to do!

Now with 2013 officially underway, you must hold on to those New Year’s resolutions for as long as possible; with any luck, about a week or two.  It is also time, even if you didn’t make a New Year’s resolution, to be bombarded with marketing and advertising that will still tell you what you ‘should’ be doing to kick off 2013.

That’s right, radio ads, television commercials and pretty much anywhere you look will be telling you that now is the time to quit smoking and that everyone can afford to lose a few pounds. I know that these companies are just trying to do their job, but I don’t like the implication that I have to do anything just because I have started a new year.

When we celebrate a birthday or anniversary with our significant other, we don’t make plans to change who we are or how we look, so why is the New Year so different?  I don’t care if it’s 2012 or 2013, if I want to eat a whole meat lovers pizza for dinner while watching Mad Men, smoking just as many cigarettes and drinking as much Canadian Club in that one hour as Jon Hamm does, THEN I’M GONNA DO IT!  (Yes, I understand the irony of this last statement, that's why I used this example.)

Photo: Contributed

A new year should not be a mandatory time for people to change things in their life, those decisions should be up to each individual person to make when they feel comfortable doing so.  Sure, it might be easier for you to stick to a big change at the start of every year because you have the support group around you, but didn’t you stop believing that lie the last 7 years you tried and failed miserably? In fact, based on our own poll conducted here at Castanet it seems like most people are learning this!

I think the reason people don’t stick to their resolutions is because they aren’t ready to.  If we could all just take a step back and start thinking for ourselves again and not doing things just because other people or companies tell us to, then maybe we will all get healthier when we are good and ready to do so!

If now is that time for you then I wish you the best of luck and I hope you accomplish your goals, but if you didn’t make any resolutions don’t let society tell you it’s wrong.

Live your life, your way and have a great 2013!  Now where’s that pizza?