You create your list, you write your plan, you dream your dreams and, before you know it, another year has passed and you're no closer to achieving them. Are you thinking "been there, done that"?

If so, I'd like you to repeat after me:

"I resolve to make 2007 the year I stop wishing, stop hoping, stop complaining and finally DO all the things I've always wanted to do!"

What if you made that promise to yourself? The promise to make 2007 your best year? Think of the power it will give you -- that one simple promise to make 2007 your best year *ever*! If you decided TODAY that you are finally going to turn your dreams into actions; you are finally going to check off your goals as they're achieved!

I want you to close your eyes and FEEL that feeling. Feel it to the depth of your core. Can you get excited about it?

I'm going to share a personal, non-business-related time when I felt this and see if it will give you some tiny inkling of the type of euphoria I am talking about.

I used to be overweight (and am again, but that's another story). One day in January about ten years ago, I decided that I didn't like who I was any more -- not just my weight, but a lot of things. I spent too much time being who others expected and not enough time being *me*.

So I set out on a quest to discover *who* Sandra was.

As part of that process, I decided to become healthy. I became a vegan and started exercising. I lost A LOT of weight -- I was commuting from D.C. to Massachusetts every weekend to see my family and was dropping a pant size every other week or so. Anyone who has struggled with their weight will appreciate what this meant to me.

I had more energy than I knew what to do with. My career with the Feds improved. My side business took off. Life was good!

Then I went shopping with my younger-by-ten-years sister. She grabbed me a pair of jeans a size smaller than what I was wearing and they were too baggy. She then grabbed me a smaller pair and they just slid on. This was the smallest size I had worn since junior high!

Can you imagine the joyful glee of this overweight-most-of-her-life woman when she put on size jeans that she hadn't worn since she was 12? While I hadn't set out on a quest to lose weight, but rather to get healthy and rediscover who I was, it was a great side benefit.

That one thing gave me the confidence to quit my very good job and move back to Massachusetts with no job, no savings and only my family for support because, in my heart, this is where I wanted to be. And now, whenever I need to draw on a little extra energy or "oomph", I go back to that dressing room. It works every time!

And now I have a short quiz for you.

In 2006, did you. . .

--> Achieve most of your goals?

--> Attract all the new clients you wanted?

--> Enjoy working with all the clients you had?

--> Grow your business to a point where you no longer stay awake at night wondering if you've made a mistake or how you're going to make your bills this month?

--> Develop new marketing ideas to help keep clients in your pipeline?

--> Learn and implement ways to automatically follow up with prospects?

So how did you do in 2006? Could your business use a makeover or a kick in the pants to get you on the right track? Did you fall into complacency at times -- dealing with the day-to-day and losing sight of the big picture or your ultimate dreams?

If so, I want you to go back to the beginning of this article and reread your resolution for 2007. Take one step today to move you forward in your goals.

And if you take that one step, and then another, the momentum will pull you forward so that, next year at this time, you will have a huge sense of satisfaction in seeing how far you've come and in moving your goals (both business and personal) even higher!

Doesn't that sound a heck of a lot better than complaining about lost time, subconsciously sabotaging yourself by failing to seize opportunities and doing nothing but changing the year on your list of goals when it comes time to plan for 2008?

Here's to your overwhelming success in 2007! Go get 'em!