A new year is upon us. This means it’s time to start writing a checklist of things you said you were going to improve last year. Want to lose weight? Want to get a better job? Want to start treating everyone in your life better? Well you’re in luck, because self-improvement can only begin at the start of every new year. So better start signing up for that gym membership you’re only going to use consistently for about a month.

All sarcasm aside, each new year brings out the cultural fad of the New Year’s resolution. People will start talking, and posting, about the things they want to change about themselves. What some people don’t realize when coming up of a New Year’s resolution is that you can make self-improvements anytime in the year.

You don’t have to wait Jan. 1 to start organizing your life. You can start right now. New Year’s resolutions have become an excuse people use to start pushing back things that need changing in their life.

For example, if you want to lose weight, why not start now? The sooner you start dieting and exercising, the sooner you will see progress. According to ABC News, Tim Keightley, executive of Gold’s Gym, said that most gyms have better deals during the beginning of December rather than January. He also said that there are even better deals during the summer.

Self-improvement isn’t an easy thing to accomplish. It’s simple to tell yourself that you will overcome your bad habits and be a better person, but it’s also easier to give up. According to Statistic Brain Research Institute, a study done by the University of Scranton reveals that only eight percent of people who have a New Year’s resolution are successful with achieving their goals.

There is a silver lining in all of this, which is that you don’t have be a part of the New Year’s Resolution cultural fad. You don’t need a new year to start making changes in your life. Don’t wait. The longer you wait, the more excuses you’ll make. Next thing you know, it will be a new year and nothing will have changed.