The new year has arrived, and many in Colorado are considering which changes they should make in the coming months. Resolutions can be powerful motivators and give individuals a chance to take stock and look for potential areas of improvement. For those who are in the middle of stalled divorces, moving the divorce process along may be on the tops of their priority lists.

A stalled divorce is one in which no forward progress is being made. Divorces often stall when parties are unable to come to terms over the division of wealth. Feeling that the available options are all unfavorable, some spouses will simply dig in their heels and stop negotiating. This often leads the other side to take the same approach, and the divorce pauses on those issues. In order for the process to get started again, one or both sides have to change their approaches.

When it comes to dividing marital assets, there is little to be gained by reaching an impasse on the matter. A lengthy delay will only serve to increase legal fees, which decreases the amount of wealth that is left to be distributed between spouses. A better course of action is to commit to resolving the matters of contention and then taking steps to reach the goal.

In most divorce cases, no one walks away feeling that he or she truly "won." Both sides are left with reduced wealth, increased living expenses and less time with their shared children. The best outcome is one in which a divorce is handled fairly and in a timely manner. This gives both parties the opportunity to move on and focus on the future, instead of becoming mired in the past. That is a goal that most Colorado spouses who are going through divorces would put at the tops of their priority lists for 2016.