WHAT IS IT that you would really love to have in your life?

A relationship — or an honest, loving, communicative, unconditional, faith-based and evolving relationship? Would you like more money — or wealth, freedom from debt, cash for donating and tithing, money for your children and grandchildren, legacy planning? Would you like better health — or strength, energy, flexibility, a stronger mind, clarity and balance? Would you like a new job — or a career that engages you, lifts you up and values your work, stewardship, leadership, ethics and contributions? The answer is in the questions you ask yourself while you plan for your growth and “why” you want that in your life.

In Part One of this three-part New Year’s series, it was mentioned that a resolution is a firm commitment to do something. However, without knowing or understanding in full detail what you’re firmly committing to, the commitment will wane.

Making a New Year’s resolution is not something that you just talk about; it is something that you think about, plan about and execute. Here are some high-level, wisdom-based questions that might help you formulate your New Year’s plan for yourself.

What do I want? Why do I want it? What would it feel like to obtain it?

What’s stopping me? Why is it stopping me? How do I stop it from stopping me?

What’s my first step? What does it look like? When does it happen?

How will my first step feel to me? My second and third? How does accomplishment feel to me?

What is the one thing I am currently not doing, that if I start doing, it would set me on the path to what I want? What does success look like to me?

These are just a few questions to ask yourself when planning your life. The caveat is that these are not one-word-answer questions. You will want to write one, two or three sentences on each. You will know which ones require more detail in your answers. In answering these questions in detail, in writing, you will embed in yourself a stronger belief system about your wants.

You will see yourself in your dream. You will see yourself achieving your dream.

Success in any area of life first requires 10 units of effort for one unit of success. Eventually your momentum will carry you to a new place, where you will receive 10 units of success for each unit of effort. When you do the effort, you will find yourself evolving to a higher level of awareness in your abilities to accomplish your wants. Old habits will fade away and be replaced with new higher standards of understanding and achieving.

Creating a resolution that is approached in an evolutionary way, gives you a sustainable path for the rest of your life. You will realize the true potential that lies within you and can be transferred to all other resolutions you make.

Peter Remington is an executive at Houston CityBook and also a business consultant and life coach. For more information on him and his Prepare 4 More, visit here, or email him directly at Peter@PeterRemington.com. This is the third of his three-part New Year’s series; Part One and Part Two are also available.