Yup. It’s that time of year again. Fresh starts, new beginnings, an opportunity to recreate ourselves anew. . . I love welcoming a new year with hope and optimism. I love to set out a game plan for the upcoming year. The New Year’s resolution is a concept devoted to self improvement and I am relentless about self improvement.

As tradition dictates, this is the time of year when we make our resolutions. Some people’s resolutions are simple, some very complex. We all have a fervent hope that we can stick to these resolutions (though many times we fall short). We have financial goals, physical/health goals, creative goals, relationship goals. We want to learn to play the violin, dance the tango, find true love.

I’m in my late forties and have struggled with the new year’s weight loss resolution much of my life. For years, it didn’t end up working out as I had wanted. Part of this is the physical addiction. Part is the mental addiction (blockages, comfort). Clearly, something wasn’t clicking. And then I realized wanting is not the same as doing.

In previous articles I’ve written about my self transformation in terms of weight loss and I am achieving the health goals I’ve resolved to reach for many years and have figured out some keys to self improvement on all levels.

So how can we turn this ‘fervent hope’ into tangible results? Well, the first thing to do is take time for reflection. The beginning of the year is a great time for this because the weather is gray, it’s warm inside, we may have a little down time. Start by looking inward and write out exactly what you want in life from 2008. Frame these wants in the affirmative and present tense, as if they are already happening for you. This will begin to train your brain to understand that all things are possible. (’I am shedding unnecessary fat at a healthy rate and will continue to do so until I am at my ideal weight.’)

The next suggestion I have for achieving your resolutions is to figure out what is draining your energy. Do you have friends or family or an office environment that is depleting you? Maybe your spouse smokes and doesn’t want to quit, but you do. This is something that needs to be addressed because quitting smoking is not easy if you’re sitting next to another smoker. Create some rules, boundaries, and ask for the help you need from those around you.

Connecting emotion to what you’re doing gives you an added depth and strengthens your resolve. By focusing on what you will have when you achieve your goal (for example, the happiness you will experience when you have that new career, or the good feelings you will experience when you start doing volunteer work), you will anchor these good feelings to the task at hand making it more probable that you will succeed.

The last thing I would suggest, and this is my favorite, and I think, the most powerful, visualize. This is the core of intention. This is the core of self-actualization. Visualize your waistline shrinking. Visualize your investments growing. Visualize yourself in that new car, that new house. And as with everything, be grateful for what you have and what you will soon have.

Happy New Year.