Always bear in mind that your own resolution to

succeed is more important than any other.

– Abraham Lincoln

Cheers to the year ahead and another chance to get it right.

Still deciding on your resolutions and goals? Need a few words of wisdom? Below you will find 12 powerful resolutions to follow this year and every year going forward.

So open the new chapter in front of you and appreciate it’s clean white space. This chapter is called Opportunity and it starts today…

1. Begin.

Remember the feeling you get from taking the first step is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around thinking about it. So get up and get moving. Take the first step this year – just one small step forward.

The greatest miracle of your success will not be that you finished, it will be that you had the courage to begin. Read Getting Things Done .

2. Work hard on the essential.

Don’t be busy, be productive. Don’t track your time, track your results. Put first things first and get them done.

And don’t expect your goal to be easy; it’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard you would already have it completed, and so would everyone else. The hard part is what makes it worthwhile. In life there are no shortcuts to any place worth going.

3. Stay true to your path.

A successful life is one that is lived through understanding and pursuing one’s own path, not chasing after the dreams of others.

You have to do what’s right for you; no one else walks in your shoes. Keep moving forward, beyond the negative rhetoric echoing from the peanut gallery. Do what you have to do, for you. Live a life you are proud of. And the moment you realize you’re not, find the strength to start over again on a new path.

4. Nurture your self-confidence.

You have everything you need within you to become the best possible version of YOU.

Believe that you CAN. Believe that you’re capable of pushing harder and farther than you have before. Believe that you’re young enough, old enough, smart enough and strong enough to achieve your goals. Don’t let false beliefs stop you from moving beyond yourself. And certainly don’t get sidetracked by the people around you who are not on track. Read Learned Optimism .

5. Focus on solutions.

Life gets better when you choose to make it so. Negative people make lots of noise about how bad things are, while positive people quietly and steadily improve things.

There are always problems, there are always challenges, and there are always people willing to transform those problems and challenges into great opportunities. Those who have the courage, commitment and discipline to do so, create a better life for everyone. Be one of these people. Focus on solutions and work your way eagerly toward a brighter future.

6. Accept the things you can’t change.

What you resist, persists. If you are resisting something, you are feeding it. Any energy you actively fight, you are feeding. If you are using negative energy to push something away, you are inviting it to stay.

Choose to accept what is, be positive and proactive, let go of the need to control every tiny detail, and embrace peace in the process.

7. Leave the past where it belongs.

Don’t stumble over something behind you. Don’t use the past as an excuse to miss out on today. You do not heal the wounds of the past by digging deeper into them.

Acceptance truly is the bitter pill you have to bravely swallow to move beyond yesterday’s sorrows. It’s a choice you must make. Because the truth of the matter is that history only dictates the future if you allow it. In other words, you only have to relive it if you choose to. Read The Power of Now .

8. Balance work with necessary rest.

Sometimes it’s best to rest so you can put a fresh set of eyes on your work. When you’re overworked or burnt out on a project, you become accident prone, and when that happens you’re increasing the chances of turning out suboptimal work.

Novelist Zadie Smith once said, “When you finish your novel, if money is not a desperate priority, if you do not need to sell it at once or be published that very second, put it in a drawer for as long as you can manage. Step away from it all. The secret to editing your work is simple: you need to become its reader instead of its writer.” Even though Smith talks about doing this with a novel, it’s a piece of advice we can all use for just about anything we work on.

9. Set a good example.

It’s not about what you say; it’s about how you live your life every day. The people who look up to you are watching you all the time. These people are like sponges – what they see or feel you do, they will imitate. So remember that your words mean a lot less than what you’re doing. Choose to believe that you can and will change lives with what you do each day, and you will.

Let your actions speak for themselves.

10. Be sincerely kind to everyone around you.

Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates positivity. Kindness in giving creates love.

Through kindness you have the ability to make a profound difference in every life you touch, including your own. When you guide someone who is lost and confused, when you hold someone who is sad and grieving, when you hug someone who has lost all their hope, you too will feel yourself healing and growing stronger.

11. Show your love.

You don’t need to be perfect to be a perfect friend or lover, but the commitment to your relationship is a precious responsibility. Relationships last a lifetime only when two people make a choice to keep it, fight for it, and work for it. These acts of love don’t need to be extravagant either; they just need to be true. And true love is always shown in deeds, not words. Read The 5 Love Languages .

12. Help change one life.

No matter how overwhelming life’s challenges and problems seem to be, or how small you feel at times, YOU can make a difference in the world. What you do truly matters. In fact, the vast majority of positive changes come about in someone’s life simply because one other person cares for them, believes in them, and motivates them.

So be that one person, even if it’s to only one other person.