Getting Ready for a New Year

For a lot of people, New Year's Eve is a time to cut loose, drink a lot and party. For me, it's always been a very reflective holiday, a time to look back at the past year — and my life, in general — and to face squarely my own shortcomings and to plan how I'm going to live a better life over the coming year.

It's always been a melancholy holiday for me, to say the least.

Even when I was a child, New Year's Eve was a reflective time for me. I'd watch Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve and try ...