A new year -- a new beginning. My resolution this year? Not to make any resolutions! Not that I don't enjoy the fantasy, just like everyone else. The problem is that I've made the same resolutions -- and dreamed the same dreams -- and set the same goals, and hoped for the same miracles every year for as long as I can remember. And, just like most people, I couldn't even remember what my resolutions were by the end of the month.

This year I'm taking a new approach. No absolute "anythings" -- just a series of painless little changes that, when taken together, will make life just a bit more pleasant. My goal this year is progress, not perfection.

I discussed weight loss with a friend. I spoke of my pattern of being disappointed that I'd only lost a few pounds. I'd get discouraged and give up, and that seemed to be my routine. She gave me what may be the best motivation I've ever heard. She said, when you lose one pound, go to the store and buy a one-pound block of butter. Put it in the fridge -- front and center -- and no matter what else needs to be refrigerated, keep that one pound of butter in the front, at eye level. Then, when you've lost the second pound, buy a second pound of butter to keep next to the first. Just visualizing what one or two pounds looks like makes you aware of your progress. Five or six pounds are pretty impressive. When you get to ten pounds, carry it around for five minutes. See what you're not carrying around any more. It can make a twelve-pound loss seem like the accomplishment it really is. Just marking your progress in a visual way can make all the difference in the world.