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I love the New Year.

To tell you the truth, I don’t look forward to Christmas, Thanksgiving, or even Talk Like a Pirate Day nearly as much as I do the New Year.

It’s not about the partying on New Year’s Eve, though; I’m in bed by 11, without a firecracker lit or a drop of champagne anywhere in sight. For me, the excitement is all about the anticipation of what’s ahead.

Maybe it’s just me, but there’s something salivatory about starting a brand new year… it’s like a fresh start, a clean slate… a chance to make exciting changes in your life.

Can’t you make change anytime? Sure, but a new calendar year adds a certain “credible amnesia” to the mix… you can act as if your past doesn’t have nearly the influence on you than it does, and try to get away with it…)

Aye, there’s the rub, isn’t it?

Each time New Year’s comes around, you’ve got the best of intentions to make positive change in your life, and you rely on the hope of “credible amnesia” to give you enough of a break to escape the gravity of your habitual momentum and personal history, and really, really triumph this time.

Right? Why else would a tradition like “New Year’s Resolutions” (which have an abysmally high failure rate, rivaled only in their scope of failure by the catastrophic myth of low-fat diets) continue to survive in as widespread a way as they do?

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The new year is almost upon us… and you may be feeling completely unprepared for it. Of course, you may also be excited as a three-year-old on Christmas morning about it (something I got to witness first-hand this week).

Either way, a new year presents a wonderful opportunity. Sure, you could say it’s just another day, another week, another month. But there’s a shift that happens when a new year dawns; a hope that you can feel—and take advantage of—to make changes in the way you do things. The question then becomes: what to change?

Of course, it all depends on your priorities… and they fall in line behind your goals… which are a product of what’s important to you. To help you get a bit more clear on what’s important to you, and brainstorm a bit about possible changes to make, here are a few ideas to sit with and see what sparks your interest.

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Enlightenment consists not merely in the seeing of luminous shapes and visions, but in making the darkness visible. The latter procedure is more difficult, and therefore, unpopular. - Carl Jung

When you learned to drive, you were probably taught about the evil “blind spot” — the nether region of invisible space that exists when you stare straight ahead and only use your mirrors to see the space around your car. I won’t bore you with trigonometry and the nuances of peripheral vision, but suffice it to say, given the angle of most car mirrors, each of us as we hurdle down the highway at 100 km/h (and then some) are completely unaware of the gaps of space on either side of us that you could hide a Buick in.

Scary thought, huh?

Now, much like we drive our cars, we are driving through life (ooh, that’s deep…). And it doesn’t matter if you’re driving a life that looks like an Aston Martin or an Aztek — you’ve got a blind spot. Probably several of them.

Let me take a stab at naming a few you might be familiar with: Interpersonal communication. Eating too many carbs. Gullibility. Ability to understand global economics. Sucker for a shoe sale. Accounting. Honest self-examination. Anger management. Leaving dirty dishes in the sink. For days.

But let’s not get perfectionistic, okay?

Believe me, I’m the last person who’s beyond having a few gaps in my character. And despite what your internal Judge persona might say, having gaps a good thing.

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A longer post is on the way, but in the meantime…

I was interviewed by Personal Development author Jeanie Marshall at JMviews, which was a real treat… we got connected through Priscilla Palmer’s Energizer-Bunny-list of personal development blogs. You can click here to read the interview (and leave a comment, if you like).

If you’re anticipating the New Year already, and ready to get a jump on your resolutions to make this new year dynamic and amazing in your work… a new round of the Create a Business People Love course (the CBPL) is slated to begin in February. It just may be the leg-up (and the kick in the pants) you’re looking for… click here for details on the CBPL course.

And, I’m about to release a new segment of the Inner Audio Series… but when I do, I’m also going to up the price a bit. So, if you want to get in before the price goes up, now’s your chance (and don’t ever say I don’t give you no love…).