Alva James-Johnson: Time to hit the refresh button

It’s hard to believe that nearly six months have passed and 2016 will soon be here.

Where did the time go? It seems we were just making New Year's resolutions with the whole year ahead of us.

Now, we must look back at the past five months to assess.

At least, that's what I'm doing these days. I don't know about you, but I always find the six-month mark a good time to hit the refresh button.

Truth be told, I didn't make as much progress as I had hoped.

The pledge to exercise daily fell by the wayside, along with not eating between meals and being more organized and time-conscious, among other things.

Some habits are so ingrained in my DNA, it seems, that they're hard to shake. And the older I get, the more they cling to me for dear life.

But there's always tomorrow, which will soon be today.

In trying to determine exactly where I went off track, I've reached an interesting conclusion.

Winter is partly to blame for my stagnant state of affairs.

When the new year first rolled around, everything was hunky dory. I was in a festive mood and bursting with enthusiasm for the coming months.

But I began to lose steam as the winter months dragged on and the days got shorter. It seemed there wasn't enough time to accomplish all the things on my to-do list. And bundling up in the cold to go to the gym became less and less desirable.

Some might say I'm just making excuses, and they are probably right. I don't recall keeping my New Year's resolutions while living in South Florida either.

I guess the year-round hot weather was to blame back then.

Thus, I'm left with this painful reality. Everything is a choice, and there's no getting around it. I can choose to make the most of the rest of the year, or squander the opportunity for change.

Now that warm weather is here, I'm actually gaining momentum. Some consider it the lazy days of summer, but I see it as my last sprint to the finish line.

I know I'm not alone on this rocky journey. Just this week, one of my friends posted a Facebook message asking all her FB friends to pray for her as she tried to make some changes in her life. I assured her that she wasn't the only one and tried to give her a bit of encouragement.

And I would be happy to hear from any of you trying to hit the refresh button.

Let's meet on Facebook to discuss the possibilities for the next six months. It will certainly help to have some company along the way.

And, who knows? This time, we might actually reach our goals.

This story was originally published June 4, 2015 at 10:37 PM with the headline "Alva James-Johnson: Time to hit the refresh button."