When 2013 arrived, I was asleep. My 102 degree fever had finally broken, and I had begun the laborious process of stringing disjointed hours of rest together like beads on a necklace.

Now I’m staring at my ruthless to-do list with something less than optimism.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen colleagues, mentors, and others posting the seemingly required list of goals and aspirations for the New Year, along with the ever-popular prediction posts, which go something like this: “If you don’t do these 5 things in 2013, you’ll end the year worse off than when you started.”

In Western culture, January 1 has become something like the starting pistol at a horse race – you load into the gate with prancing, nervous beasts and attempt to keep them under control through that moment of tension before, “Bang!” And they’re off, running as hard as they can (or, with a wise jockey, being held back like crazy to hold a pace) for an arbitrary finish line. Depending upon the length of the race, the commentators will be discussing which horses have the most early speed, and which ones have the stamina to go the distance and outrun the sprinters.

For those of us who, for whatever reason, didn’t end up loaded into the gate with the rest of the sprinters, it’s very easy to feel like we’re hopelessly behind and will never catch up. If you’re a business owner, that feeling can be multiplied a thousand-fold, because your resolutions are likely much more ambitious and financially crucial than getting to the gym on a regular basis.

So. Today is January 3rd, and I just realized it’s Thursday and not Friday. Which is actually a bonus, because it means I’m not as behind as I thought!

In a few weeks, we’ll be posting some of the changes we’re making around Rowboat Media for the new year – new offerings, new ways of doing things, etc. In the meantime, it’s one foot in front of the other.

I’ll leave you with what my friend and kick-ass entrepreneur Traci Knoppe posted about New Year’s resolutions:

“I’ve seen the usual 2013 goals, resolutions, etc…. I never make New Year’s resolutions. I figure if I want or need to do something, or change something, if I can’t do that instantly at any moment I notice the need; waiting until a “new year” isn’t going to be likely to spur me on to make it happen. So I resolve to do/change what I need to, when I need to – even on a Thursday evening.

Don’t wait until the New Year, Monday morning or even tomorrow morning – resolve at any moment to change your focus and direction.”

Our only point of power is ever NOW. No matter what the date on the calendar.

Now to make the most of the fact that it is, indeed, Thursday.