By AMY FREESE
DesignHer Living columnist

By now you’ve probably had your fill on the how to’s of making and keeping your New Year’s resolutions but I’m hoping you haven’t thrown in the towel yet, but instead, have decided to take the plunge and swim out towards the promises that are hanging out in the uncharted waters of 2012.

I understand the importance of resolutions but resolutions have to involve more than lists, counting points, and tracing steps on the Stairmaster.  In order for any resolution or decision, for that matter, to stick and stay there has to be a ‘mind shift.’ Contrary to some Life Coaches who have an over analytical M.O. my motto and the direction I give to my clients is taken from the experts who have ‘sole.’

Maybe you’ve got a dream of doing things differently this year, or maybe you’re in need of a change in either big or small areas of your life, or maybe you are just sick and tired of being sick and tired with your same old attitude or situation.  Rather than being set up for failure as with most resolutions and getting paralyzed by over analyzing your ‘should I or shouldn’t I’s’ why not resolve to ‘just do it’ and take the plunge!?  This year decide to decide and get on with it.  What’s really the worst thing that could happen?  Most likely the potential train wreck in your mind will never take place on the tracks.

A word of caution is necessary here.  Keep in mind just because you ‘decide’ to make this the year that you take the plunge be armed and ready to ignore the raised eyebrows from your peers and family when you share your new found passion for desiring to swim with the big fish.   Many, from my experience, will think you’re crazy for taking the plunge….”don’t you know sharks swim in those waters?”  Peshaw, go for it!  Don’t wait around for people’s high-five approval.  It’s always more fun in the deep end even if you’re a little scared yourself that you’re sea legs will give out. 

Seventeen years ago my girlfriend and I came up with an idea that to most of our family and friends thought looked like a train wreck waiting to happen.   Our idea of starting our own faux finishing business in downtown Chicago when neither of us really knew how to faux finish, let alone spell it, was met with a lot of raised eyebrows and an array of responses: “you  think you can do that,” “shouldn’t you take some classes first,” to “whose going to hire you?” 

Thankfully, as much as others and ourselves questioned our ability to paint our way up and down the streets of the windy city our ‘can do’ attitude carried us through so that we were able to ignore the naysayers and go about building a successful business that even Chicago Mayor Daley deemed worthy by giving us a call looking for those ‘painting gals.’ 

Seventeen years and a lot of faux finishes later my partner is still going strong to this day painting the town red and only because we looked forward and didn’t let the little known fact of “we didn’t really know what we were doing when we had our ‘so-called pipedream’ ” stand in our way. 

I use the following quote, “God does not call the equipped, He equips the called,” often but it has proved worthy in so many situations when I’ve come to the cross roads of whether to retreat back into my comfort zone or plunge towards my potential.  Sometimes all we’re equipped with is just the pipe dream and that often times can prove to be the perfect place to take the plunge. 

If the water is calling you, jump in, and feet first if you have to.  You may just make a big splash and if you don’t you’ll at least start the ripple to bring a change to your tide.

What plunge do you need to take this year?  What ‘crazy, pipe dream, train wreck’ of an idea do you have sitting on your ‘some –day’ shelf?  Why not make this the year you don the swim cap and take the plunge?

To witness my New Year’s plunge visit my blog at Amyfreese.com.