I love the New Year because every time we hit that magical date, it’s like we’ve shed a layer of time from our lives. It’s the perfect opportunity to set goals for yourself, whether they are financial, emotional, or physical, bettering yourself for the New Year is the best time of the year to add positivity to your life. Here are some great ideas and goals for the beginning of the year that you can get behind.

Budgeting: Money isn’t the key to happiness, but our lives can become a lot easier and less stressful if we aren’t living paycheck to paycheck. That isn’t an option for some, but for many of us, some simple budgeting can give us more control over our lives and help to alleviate payday anxiety and stress. There are numerous budgeting apps that you can sync with your bank account to always keep tabs on what your money is doing. Some organization and preparation can go a long way in a year.

Weight loss: We always hear about this one – people show up in full force at the gym on January 1st, and after that they begin dropping like flies. Gym regulars see the cycle in action on a yearly basis. Let’s turn to our technology for guidance and set ourselves a schedule for success. There are tons of apps out there for iPhone and Android that are dedicated to helping you reach your fitness goals, including some that will actually guide you to eventually becoming a 5k runner. There are also many others to help keep nutrition logs that are as quick and easy as typing out a text message. Try it out, millions of people have had success. There’s no reason we shouldn’t be getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day. A healthy you is a happy you!

A New Smile for the New Year: You had to be expecting it, but a good dental hygiene and a beautiful new smile is a scientifically proven confidence booster for everyone, and confidence is attractive to everyone. From all of my firsthand experience, I have had numerous instances where I’ve seen a cosmetic dentistry patient’s face light up, almost glowing, after significantly improving their smiles. Image isn’t everything of course, but as the saying goes: “first impressions always count.” A beautiful white smile can be a very big part of a first impression. Many of my patients’ smiles have opened up considerably since treatment, and that little difference can have a big impact on those first impressions.

Quit Smoking: Smoking is bad for you, you should know this by now. You might have tried to quit several times, but the significance of the new year is a great way to change your perspective in making a new you for the new year! Not only can smoking lead to lung cancer and emphysema, your smile and your mouth take severe damage from repeated exposure to smoke. If you go with quitting smoking and a new smile, you can really kill two birds with the same stone and use each resolution to keep another resolution – it’s like a web of resolutions. Spiderman would be proud, I would be proud, your family would be proud, and you will be proud, so do it!

What kind of resolutions have you made this year to help better yourself for a new year? Tell me all about it on Twitter @DrBillDorfman #newyou. If a smile makeover is on your to do list for 2013, call my cosmetic dental practice today to schedule a consultation.