Now is the time to resolve to make some changes aimed at improving your personal and professional health. If you try a few of these suggestions, I promise you'll be in better shape -- physically, emotionally and financially -- by this time next year.

Question why you are in the business you're in. It sounds scary, but if you do some soul-searching, you may find you are in business for the wrong reasons, or in the wrong business altogether. If you got into business because you couldn't find a job or bought a franchise 10 years ago, it's time to evaluate whether your business is still a good fit for your skills and temperament. If it isn't right, you'll never be truly successful.

Fire your worst clients and customers. Life is too short to work with people who give you a headache or a stomachache. I've said this a hundred times, and I'll say it again. If you dread receiving phone calls or e-mails from certain people, listen to your gut and get them out of your life. Toxic people sap your energy and affect employee morale. Eliminating toxic people isn't as tough as you may think. You don't have to move or change your name. You can diplomatically refer them to other companies (maybe they'll get along better with someone else!).

Provide outplacement for your worst employees. If you dread going to work every morning, you have a serious people problem. One motivation to start your own business was to get away from people you didn't enjoy working with. So why should you spend your day dealing with people who annoy, aggravate or otherwise bug you? You know who the problem employees are, so schedule a private counseling session. Before you meet, carefully document all the problems you can in writing.

Take better care of yourself. By now, you know whether you are a morning, afternoon or night person. Since you are the boss, adjust your work schedule to fit your personal clock. I like being the first one in the office most days because it's quiet, and I can get a lot accomplished between seven and eight a.m. Starting early in the morning means I feel no guilt booking a haircut at four p.m. It's very important to get out of the office for at least a half hour a day.

Get a grip on your financial situation. Despite all the bookkeeping and money-management software programs, managing cash flow is still one of the top small-business challenges. No matter how great you treat your customers or clients, getting paid in a timely fashion is tough. Consider charging a deposit, no matter what kind of business you run. Getting some cash up front can help you keep the lights on while waiting for the balance. If you always pay your bills in full and on time, try negotiating more lenient terms with your vendors and suppliers.

Spend more time with friends and family. Most entrepreneurs are guilty of putting work before family. Although you may justify your insane work schedule by telling your kids that your hard work provides all the goodies they expect, what they really need is more of your time.

Buy whatever you need to clear away clutter and better manage your time. I finally broke down and bought a Palm Pilot. Now, I'm transferring information from hundreds of business cards stapled to index cards to my cool new personal digital assistant.

Rather than checking e-mail every five minutes, check it every two hours or better yet, twice a day. Remember the good old days when people mailed business letters and proposals to each other? We used to have a week or so to respond to a request for information -- now people expect an answer in 10 minutes or less. Taking time to think things over is a good thing for your business. Don't feel pressured to respond to anything immediately.

Finally, remember to praise yourself everyday for the great job you are doing.