We are moving rapidly through 2005, and you'll find previously intelligent and reasonable people struggling with trying to keep a 'resolution' that they made earlier in the year to push themselves to create change in a specific area of their lives.

If you're ready to make some BIG changes, but you're not sure where to start, or if you have already made some promises to yourself, but need positive reinforcement and support, then this article is for you.

How do you ensure success for the goals you'll set in 2005? First, you have to identify the goals you REALLY want. Not the ones someone in your life has told you that you 'should' achieve.

First rule: throw out the 'shoulds' from others. You cannot change your life simply because someone says you 'should'. Often the 'shoulds' from others serve no purpose except to generate resentment and set you up for failure.

Choose an area of your life - health, career, money, relationships, your environment, fun, personal growth, and then examine how satisfied you are with that area. What do you want to change? Where would you like to be a year from now? A month from now? A week from now? What do you REALLY want?

Your goal is to make changes that will have you love being yourself, what you see in the mirror every day, and how you're living your life. What will those changes look like? Be careful to choose one or two areas to make changes in, because any more than that may have you overwhelmed and feeling powerless.

You must define for yourself the difference between making a decision and setting a goal. They are not the same, and you can't succeed at one of them without involving the other one. Commitment is incredibly important in this process as well - how many times have you made a promise to yourself and then not followed through? If you had a friend that let you down as many times as you've let you down, would that person still be your friend?

You need a personalized Success Strategy to help you get into motion and create positive momentum so you'll keep going. You must have a way to hold yourself accountable ? to something or someone that will encourage you to keep progressing, moving forward and achieve your goal.

The power of belief can work near-miracles on your behalf, but only if you put it to work on your goals. Your beliefs determine the life you have. If you don't like the results you're getting in your life, take a look at changing the beliefs that are producing those results.

The difference between limiting beliefs and those that can empower you are crucial to your success. You have to make the decision that you're no longer willing to have the consequences of limiting beliefs in your life, and replace them with positive, empowering beliefs.

Setting effective goals in another important piece in making 2005 - or any year - your best year ever - I believe that any person, male or female, cannot reach their full potential without setting and working towards goals. There are many reasons people don't set goals, including fear of criticism and fear of failure.

There are several characteristics of highly effective goals, and incorporating these into your personal goal setting will greatly enhance your degree of success. Writing down your goals is one of the first steps toward success, along with stating them positively, and making sure they are measurable.

Once you've gotten in motion though, you have to continually reinforce your new mindset. Ultimately, it's the actions you take each day, each week and each month that will determine whether you are successful in achieving your goals or not.

Find sources of inspiration, positive reinforcement and help in setting and achieving your goals, and 2005 will be Your Best Year Ever!

About the Author: Dianne M. Daniels is an Image & Color Coach, Consultant and Professional Speaker, and the author/publisher of "Polish & Presence: 31 Days to a New Image". She has helped individuals refine and define their personal and professional image, along with corporations and organizations. Learn how to create your Personal Climate for Personal and Professional Success at http://www.imageandcolor.com