Reader TTS

If I had completed every New Year's resolution made in the last half century, I'd have lost 400 pounds, earned thousands more dollars, and done a million reps on the rowing

machine. Also, sewn a quilt — or two. Instead, by every February, I have a big "loser" tag on my forehead and feel like a failure. So, time for a new strategy: This year, I resolve

to do things I'm already doing — keep up the positive changes I've made over the last year. Clever, eh? I’m already several points ahead. I've made some good ones that I

think I can stick with — like knowing when to keep quiet (see the rest of my list below). And resolutions are important — even at 70-something. Very few of us are complete, finished products

who should rest on their laurels. It can be too easy to get stuck in the past — deciding we are who we are for the rest of our lives way too early. What if I live another 20 years?

That's like not changing from age 20 to 40. Even at 40, I didn’t want to be my 20-year-old self (OK, the body, maybe, but even then there was joy in accepting my imperfections). Plus,

resolving to change is optimism at its finest. We don't resolve to do things that make us worse — only better. And no matter what my age, I can't let go of the concept that

I'm a work in progress. After all, Grandma Moses didn't even start painting until she was in her 70s. And Yuichiro Miura climbed Mt. Everest at 80. My sights are set a little

lower, but I welcome the chance to try something new or to be a better human. I like facing forward, although it's unlikely my dream of being a Rockette will ever come to fruition. More

importantly, I no longer make resolutions to meet the standards imposed by women’s magazines or influencers. (Lose 10 pounds! Train for a marathon! Be the best cook ever!) Instead, I only

have to meet my own code of conduct or appearance. And, thankfully, my standards have changed from the days I flipped through _Glamour _magazine questioning if my hair was too short or my

skirts too long. So over the last year I've made some small changes, and I’m resolving to keep them up. It's a lighter load than waking up Jan. 1 with an overwhelming to-do list.

Here are my seven.