For many people, it is very difficult to go through a major life transition like separation or divorce at this time of the year. It can be painful to reflect on the year gone by and even more challenging to consider the future. I want to share a few New Year’s resolutions that I hope will inspire you to look forward to a new year with encouragement, hope, and forgiveness:

Feel better. Make the time to visit with your family doctor or counselor. Start a fitness program – even if it means taking the stairs at work once a day. Make feeling better a priority.

Look to the future, not the past. Your future holds all of the promises and results of the choices you make today.

Decide you will communicate better with your spouse. Whether you are still married or apart, communication is a critical component in any relationship. There is little you can do to change your spouse’s behavior or responses, but you can change how you approach communicating with your spouse going forward.

Decide to be more positive about your spouse in the presence of the children. Your spouse may become an ex-spouse, but will forever be a parent and maybe someday a grandparent. Remember this when talking about issues in the presence of your children.

Prioritize items to fight about. You and your spouse are going to disagree—maybe on a few things or maybe on a lot. Decide in 2017 that you are not going to spend all of your family communication time-fighting battles. Prioritize the list of conflicts and work with a counselor or a mediator when necessary to come to some resolutions.

Establish some deadlines for yourself. One great time management strategy is to create lists of things you would like to accomplish in a day, a month, or even a year. However, lists very seldom work without deadlines to hold you accountable. Think about what you would like to accomplish this year and then set deadlines.

I hope these New Year’s resolutions will serve you well. If you read them and thought about someone you know, please feel free to share this message with them and encourage them to look forward to a fresh start.

ABOUT LINDA SORG OSTOVITZ

Linda Sorg Ostovitz is a family law attorney. Her legal experience spans more than 34 years. In this time, she has served as a leader, educator and advocate. Mrs. Ostovitz holds a prestigious fellowship in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. Currently, she serves as President for the Business Women’s Network of Howard County, by which she was chosen Woman of Distinction for 2014. Mrs. Ostovitz represents clients in Howard, Anne Arundel, Carroll and Baltimore Counties. Her practice focuses exclusively on divorce litigation and mediation, child custody and access, child support, alimony, business valuation, as well as property and asset distribution. In addition to providing legal representation in court, Mrs. Ostovitz provides mediation services to help families come to a fair and legally-sound conclusion outside of the traditional court proceedings.

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