What will become of me this year?

For many of us who want to keep growing and becoming more than we are, we take advantage of this next orbit around the sun to more clearly decide what and how we can be “better.”

These new-year “resolutions” are hopeful attempts to take a stab at creating a more pleasant and healthy experience of ourselves as we do life. Often, we do not hang on to those promises to ourselves.

But…what will make the difference? What actually works to bring the change we desire?

I have a couple of suggestions that might be helpful this year as you continue your journey of personal growth this year:

1. Identify 1 or 2 people you want to be more like and make plans to do something with them on a regular basis. We become like those with whom we interact and do life, so be strategic and intentional to get as much exposure to the habits, energy, words and style of a person or people you want to be more like.

2. Identify 1 or 2 habits that you feel get in the way of your next level of growth or empowerment and establish a strategy to replace it. Be strategic in that you want to address the need or issue that your current habit meets; for example, if you feel like you spend too much time wastefully on social media, ask yourself how that is working for you? Is this a pass time to alleviate boredom? What could be done to stimulate yourself more productively? Can you make a “deal” with yourself that you will accomplish something productive first before going to your facebook and then limit your access to a pre-designated time-frame? How much have you not produced or accomplished in moving your life forward while you were watching other people’s lives?

3. Create a vision board with pictures and words and action steps that keep before you what matters for you and what you hope to create more of in your more optimal life. Perhaps keep this in your bathroom where you can look at it while doing your “business” or on the back of a door you have to open regularly so that you have constant exposure to it. Divide into areas that you want to develop such as:

• Relationships
• Financial
• Spiritual
• Fitness
• Thought
• Life

You might want to add quotes, pictures and other reminders to it as you find them and keep it fresh. Move the board around occasionally to keep you alert to it.

Remember, you decide who you will become through each decision you make, doing the next “right thing” in the direction of your best self.

Make each day count and — may all the days add up to your biggest, brightest YOU.