As 2010 begins many of us think of making some life changes. I'm not talking about resolutions, the kind that don't generally last the month of January. I'm speaking about fairly major decisions that will have positive effects on our lives.  I am of the belief that, no matter what your age, if you have the drive and the determination to make a change, you should definitely go for it.

But not everyone feels this way. Five years ago I worked with a woman I'll call Donna,* who oozed negativity. Being in her presence for more than a few minutes had an effect that was unpleasant. If you lost weight, Donna would point out that most people gain it back in a year, if you bought a house, she would tell you about the dire financial problems of being a homeowner. She had a discouraging comment about everything.  A chance comment from a co-worker about her pretty much summed up Donna's attitude towards life in general,

"She  can take a beautiful sunny day and fill it with angry rainclouds. "  

It was true. Her negative attitude  could put a damper on even the best day.

This was brought home to me one beautiful Spring morning during the last year I worked with Donna.

During a coffee break,  three colleagues and I were talking about various future plans we were making.  We all had ideas and goals that required major changes in our lives. One woman was going to start her own business in a year or two and was making financial plans towards her goal, another colleague was mulling over a decision to take a year's sabbatical and go to art school to launch a new career in graphic design.  I was leaving in a few months time for a position at a new magazine. Our attitudes were positive and happy.

Donna had been sitting there taking in all our chatter when she suddenly said,

"Listen ladies, at our age we shouldn't even think about making changes. What is, is. If we were younger, then maybe, but it's too late for us now."

We were thrown off guard. Too old? Us? We certainly didn't thinks so. The women in the group were ages 41 to 56. Donna herself was 45.

Her comment poses several important questions about making changes and age. When is it ever too old to make positive life changes or to pursue a goal? Is it ever too late to change direction in life or to change careers? What age determines when we should stop living? Ceasing to make changes makes your life stagnate and you aren't really living, you simply exist.

Donna's attitude towards life is unhealthy. For whatever reason, she sees only the negative aspects of life and feels that there is no alternative to 'what is.' But she is wrong; there are always alternatives and you should seek them out. 'What is' can become 'what if' which in turn becomes 'what a great chance I've given myself by making a change!' Call it reinvention or changing course, positive change will  enhance your life. By doing nothing you allow your life to stand still. Change, whether career or personal, offers a fresh outlook on life and a new way of living. You're doing yourself a great service by making healthy changes as you go along.As January 2010 begins, allow yourself the luxury of deciding where you want to go this year and what positive changes will best suit your life. Age has less than nothing to do with living the life you want.***Kristen Houghton is the author of, "AND THEN I'LL BE HAPPY! Stop Sabotaging Your Happiness and Put Your Own Life First" published by GPP Life an imprint of Globe Pequot Press.  copyright ©2009 Kristen Houghton all rights reserved