Mitt Romney moved from silver to the gold in his Michigan victory and the look of jubilation and relief on his face was familiar. Haven't all of us, at one time or another, been behind and then pulled into a winning position?

More than ever, the race now appears to be a Republican free-for-all, with each candidate having a different platform and searching for how to win the votes. Lucky for Romney he has deep roots in Michigan and could be himself in his home state. As a successful business man, he used a targeted message by framing the economy as the main issue.

Romney called it the victory of optimisn over Washington pessimism. As Sandwiched Boomers are you feeling discouraged about some family circumstances? If you set a long range objective, that you break into smaller shortterm steps in order to reach it, you will reach your goal. Whether it's establishing boundaries for your boomerang kid who lost his job and moved back home or making arrangements for your Mom to go into assisted living, you do have the tools and experience to creatively work out a solution.

You can't always resolve problems in the same old way and big issues take time. However, the race isn't over until you reach the finish line. By keeping a positive attitude and putting one foot in front of the other, you really can do almost anything you put your mind to.

Leaving the snowy hamlets of New Hampshire behind, the presidential candidates are headed for Michigan and the warmer venues of South Carolina and Florida - all of this before they launch into meeting the voters in the multiple primaries on "super Tuesday," February 5. Based on their results so far, candidates are now re-evaluating strategies, changing staffers or even dropping out of the race completely. Daily, the pollsters and pundits are telling us who is ahead and the spin doctors, why. Is Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama the real agent of change for Democrats? Is John McCain or Mike Huckabee the Republican front runner? How will Mitt Romney or Rudy Giuliani stage a comeback? It's enough to make your own head spin.

Are you wondering what you, a Sandwiched Boomer, can learn from the candidates as they continue their grueling run for President? The challenges you encounter every day as you take care of your growing children and aging parents may be played out on a smaller stage but they are no less stressful for you. January is a good time for you also to stop and evaluate your own progress toward your goals.

As you have no doubt told your children, you can learn from mistakes as well as from successes. If one choice for the care of your aging parents hasn't worked, re-evaluate that decision and institute your plan B. Deep down, you may know that it is time to make a change, but it is hard to do. That's when you need to gather support from the rest of your family and friends. Stay positive and recognize that you don't have to do it all at once - pace yourself in the process. Draw upon your tenacity and strength as you continue your own march forward, one step at a time.