With a new year comes new beginnings. As the clock strikes midnight and we are stuck between that magical place of the last day of the year and the first day of a new, promising year, all of our what-ifs switch to why-nots. This is the perfect time to start making decisions and transitions toward being the “you” that you’ve always wanted to be.

“Simple Steps” is a great motivational book to get you moving in the right direction. This self-improvement program-turned book was created by three women: Linda McClintock, a nutritionist; Lisa Lelas, a freelance writer and public speaker; and Beverly Zingaraella, a full-time mom and Simple Step program facilitator. The women decided their lives were in need of serious make-overs.

“We all agreed that we needed a change,” agreed the women. “We had to develop more productive routines, get organized and start putting ourselves at the top of our priority lists.”

The book is broken up into 10-week periods. Each week introduces four new steps and habits to add to daily life in order to create positive change. Adding a 20-minute walk to the day, saving $2/day, replacing bad fats with good fats and even rediscovering forgotten passions, are all examples of the steps. Each chapter targets these steps and provides three helpful considerations:

1) WHY we should be adding these steps.;

2) HOW we can intertwine them into our daily lives; and

3)KEYS to attaching these changes into our current lifestyles.

These breakdowns are what separate this book from so many other self-help books on the market today. Sound reasoning and statistics are quoted from nationwide journals, professionals and universities. It doesn’t just tell the readers that they should do something; it provides reasons why they should care so much about making the suggested changes. At the end of each section, there is a reminder page that renames all of the steps you should have already included into your routine. This constant reminder is a great way to see how far you’ve come and helps keep you in check.

Although the benefits can be reaped by both genders, it seems to be targeted mostly toward women. With chapters called “The Water Lily” and “Lavender,” this book is somewhat flowery and idealistic. Also, some of the additions could be replaced with loftier goals. The section entitled “Why we should make our beds” was one that I quickly skimmed and gave little attention.

“Simple Steps” is interactive. There are focus groups formed to conduct further research on this way of living. “The women in the first group lost a total of 300 pounds in 10 weeks,” reports the women. “But their successes surpassed simple weight losses. Some women managed to quit smoking; others rediscovered their passions and started their own businesses.” There is also a Web site, www.SimpleStepsProgram.com, that women can go to and submit opinions and experiences while weaving “Simple Steps” into their lives.