I 've always been the kind of person who likes to set goals. I love to-do list--or checking items off the to-do list. I set word count goals, goals for my house hold tasks, and--of course--goals for my health and weight loss.

The thing about goals is without a plan it's easy to lose the road to success. Some goals I can crush--like those word count goals. Mostly, because I know the path to success. When I'm on a good roll, I can write 1, 200-1,500 words an hour. If want to write 3,000 words. I Know I need to give myself two - two and a half hours to complete the task.

But, it's not only about time. It's about what I am writing. It's about knowing the elements of plot, and knowing what's coming up next.

I's about having a well known path and knowing what it will take to complete the goal.

Household tasks are similar. I can set days to do laundry, clean the bathroom (for example), and days set aside for dusting and vacuuming. If I follow through on my plan and check off the items at their proper time and day, the end result is a house that doesn't look like a tornado just went through it.

But then there is the health goals. A little less than a year ago, I was being tormented with severe stomach pain. The only thing that would give me any kind of relief was to lay down with a heating pad on the inflamed area. That, and drinking water instead of my guilty pleasure--Diet Coke.

I went to the doctor. Tests were run. I was told I had a gallstone. They felt there may be some liver involvement. I went to work pretty quickly and began researching what caused the stones and if there was a way to help them pass so I wouldn't have to have surgery.

I'm not going to say it was easy. No, giving up my favorite foods and drinks is so hard. It's not that I don't like fresh and nutritious food. Actually, I love fresh vegetables and grilled or smoked proteins. I've built quite the arsenal of salad combinations and home made dressings.

But I'm a busy person.

You don't have to tell me how lame that excuse is. I know.

When i have a plan--when I prep my vegetables at the beginning of the week, figure out what proteins were going to have and get them out of the freezer, and coordinate my meals with my schedule. For example, if I have a late appointment on Wednesday, so we will have something super easy for me to put together in fifteen minutes. Or, I will prep the ingredients to the point that I can throw the meal together quickly. When I have the detailed plan, the goals are met.

When I don't have a plan, I hit a drive through for lunch and get that supersized Diet Coke I love so much, which, of course, comes with super sized fries. Because i have been doing this all too much in the last two-three months (Again, there are reasons, but none that justify hurting my health.) The familiar--and somewhat debilitating pain is returning/

So, tonight, I'm beginning a new plan. New Year, New reset. I know the skills. I possess the tools. I just need to make sure I'm setting a plan and following it.

Wish me luck.