Here's to success

"You can be who you want to be and do what you want to do. Remember, you already have all the resources for success. You just need to find out what motivates you, what beliefs or obstacles hold you back – and then you can recreate your focus," says executive coach, Sunny Stout Rostron.

Read on to help you clarify your goals for the year ahead and to find out how to grab hold of them and not let go.

Develop a success habit

Take stock of the past 12 months. Recognise the things that you do well and keep doing them, but also take a look at what is not working.

What did you accomplish?

Make a list of all the good things that happened in relationships and at work over the past year. Perhaps you stopped smoking, lost weight, developed new friendships or excelled at work. Write them all down. No achievement is too small to record.

What were your disappointments, frustrations or unmet expectations?

Perhaps you missed out on a promotion or were too afraid to try something new. Think about this and be as honest as you can. What you hide from yourself, rules you.

Learn the lessons

Examine accomplishments and disappointments for patterns.

How did you achieve your goals? What stood in your way? What are the lessons you can learn from your experiences? Perhaps you succeeded because you stood up for yourself or set boundaries. To help you see what the lesson is, imagine yourself 30 years from now, giving advice to your younger self.

Write down the lessons as guidelines.

Write each lesson as a positive statement. For example, if you realise that you need to stop procrastinating, write "do what needs to be done now," rather than "don't procrastinate".

Work with the three most powerful statements.

Write the three statements that seem most pressing down on a separate piece of paper. This lays the groundwork for your plan for the year ahead.

Shift limiting paradigms

Explore limiting behaviour.

Your mindset, world view or attitude could be preventing you from achieving your goals.

Explore the excuses you make to justify your limiting behaviour.

What do you say to rationalise not taking the steps you would like to take? At the core of these voices are your false beliefs and the negative self-talk that creates obstacles to success.

Create a declaration of intent.

To create a new belief, choose one statement that would make the most difference in your life if it could be turned around. Write a new statement of intent that is positive, personal, active, in the present tense, challenging and future-oriented. By changing our false assumptions, we set up a new empowering mindset. Write your new vision on the piece of paper below your three guidelines.

Live your values

Align your values.

Your values, beliefs and feelings motivate your actions. What is important to you in your private or professional life, in relation to projects, people and relationships? Do not write down concrete goals here, but make a note of the intangibles, such as security, health, respect, recognition, or independence. Choose five key values that you want to work with and list them on your piece of paper.

Explore the roles you play.

Make a list of your roles, such as wife, mother, daughter, sister, partner, employee, leader or entrepreneur. Add "personal coach" or "private conscience" to the list – this is the role that manages your health and personal development goals. Pick the one area of your life that needs special focus this year and add it to the plan.

Set goals and focus on them

Choose five result-oriented goals.

You have looked at the past, reviewed the lessons, chosen guidelines, values, an empowering vision and the area you would like to concentrate on. Now choose five practical goals, which if achieved, would make it your best year yet. These goals must be specific and measurable, such as develop a health plan, start a small business, or expand your social circle. List them on your page.

Each month, draw up a task list aimed at achieving these goals.

By following this simple process, you will develop a success habit, the awareness of possibility and you will have a benchmark against which you can measure your progress. All you have to do is allow yourself to dream, take risks, learn from your mistakes and reach for the stars.