I love getting a new daily planner every January with clean, unmarked pages. I put in my friendsí and familyís birthdays and check what day mine falls on. Until the 1st, I get impatient with my previous yearís marked-up planner wanting my new blank slate.

But this blank slate does not work so well with how I handle New Yearís resolutions.

Every year, I want to lose 10 pounds and exercise more. I plan to start jogging, to eat less and to eat healthier. But I quit my resolution sometime in January, figuring Iíll start in the summer, when the days are longer and seem to create more time for exercise with hot days to curb appetite.

What has happened with my repeat resolution is that Iím actually starting to take it seriously, turning it into more of a goal. Slowly, and I mean very slowly, I have tapered off my consumption of sweets, added in more healthy foods, including an apple or fruit for a snack, and stopped eating at the just-before-feeling-full point.

I guess what has happened to me is Iíve had a New Decade resolution for the 2000s.

Now itís 2011 and another decade, but I canít figure out my resolution for this year or the next 10. I certainly have goals, like publishing one of my novels, going to church every single Sunday, reading the Bible from cover to cover and painting enough paintings for an art show.

But I donít know what kind of resolution to have that would work for 2011, changing my behavior in the span of 12 months. Should I lose 10 pounds on top of the five I have lost? Should I run a mile a day? Should I do volunteer work, something I keep meaning to do?

I guess, though itís Jan. 1, Iíll have to keep thinking on that ñ so much for starting off the year with a bang.

Yes, I do not have a New Yearís resolution except to figure out one to have by the end of the month. All I can say is better late than never.