Well, you can see signs of a new year all over the place. It’s as if everyone is ready for the “do over” we talked about in last week’s Point. If you’ll recall, my 8-year-old son suggested we “forget about our mistakes from last year.”

Right now, everyone seems to be full of promise and promises. Our church had standing room only this past Sunday, and the parking lot was twice as full as usual. I saw “the ladies” in my neighborhood walking again after what appeared to be a two-month hiatus. And while I was on the treadmill at 6 a.m. (yes, I’m trying to do what I do better, too) it seemed like the only things on TV were infomercials about weight loss, exercise machines and get-rich-quick schemes.

Of course, you and I both know there’s no such thing as a real quick fix. Any goal worth your time takes some time. I hope you took our advice and have decided what you are going to do more of, less of and stop doing all together in this new year. Maybe you even did a self-assessment on where you are in life.

If you’ve given this some serious thought, you should have a pretty good idea of what you want to accomplish this year—both in and out of your office. Your goals should go hand-in-hand with your professional and personal vision. And that vision should track The 7 F’s of True Success—the Fundamentals of work, sound Finances, Family, Faith, Fitness, Fun and the Fusion of all this.

When trying to figure out how to do what they do better, a lot of people write down a whole bunch of goals. There are others who feel challenged at documenting just one goal. We like to ask people during this promising month: “If you accomplish each of the goals you have written down, how would you feel?” We get answers like “good;” “O.K.;” and occasionally, “tired.” But sometimes we hear an enthusiastic “great!” That’s how you should feel once you accomplish your goals. You should feel a tremendous and highly satisfying sense of achievement.

That’s what happens when you are passionate about the goals you strive to achieve.

Here’s an excellent way to determine if your goals are really in line with what you want to accomplish and if they are truly worthwhile to you (and worth pursuing): Call “The Question.”

Ask yourself: “If I were sitting here one year from now feeling absolutely great about my accomplishments, what things would I have done?” Take a balanced-life approach to your answer (considering both your professional and personal life), and you’ll have your goals for the new year.

It is a new year with a brand-new opportunity for a “do over” in your life. It’s your time for promise and promises. Make sure you know exactly what you want to accomplish this year. Strive to pursue worthwhile goals that you are passionate about. And ask yourself “The Question.” What can you accomplish that will make you feel positively great? Identify your goals, and then pursue them with focus all year long. That’s the way to have one hell-of-a-great year—both in and out of the office.