Resolutions, well-intentioned as they may be, don’t have the power that goals do. Goals are resolutions with their shoes on. Goal-setting is a process to bring about change, increase success, live purposefully, and put creativity to work.

The first step is getting clear about what you want to accomplish. Amazing things can happen once you start clarifying. If you’ve never written down your goals, make time to do so soon. Take advantage of the natural energy that comes when embarking on a new year.

A popular method begins with making three lists (which can be added to as you get more ideas). In a notebook, set aside three pages. Label one To Have (things you want to have like your own business), another To Do (gain new skills, complete a program, take up photography), and the third To Be (happier, healthier, thinner, richer). List as many things as you can think of on each page. Breaking things down into categories helps to clarify and focus your goals.

Next look over your list and assign a ranking to them as follows:

A—Goals I really want to achieve

B—Goals I want, but not as much as my A-list goals

C—Only if I have time and have completed my higher priorities

This helps to prioritize your list. Now start with one of your A-list goals and ask yourself, “What do I already have that contributes to my goal?” Write down as many things as you can think of, including contacts you have, experience and skills, physical assets, and personal desire. Now turn that goal into a project. Do your homework. Gather information. Do not take advice from uninformed sources. When gaining that goal is in motion, move on to your next goal.

Sharpen your focus. In a world as rich and full of possibilities as ours, it’s easy to get confused or distracted by the limitless options. Eliminate things that do not contribute to your ultimate vision. Be open to progress coming in both expected and unexpected ways.

When you make the time and space for what you really want to do, everything else shifts to accommodate it. It doesn’t work the other way around. If you wait until there’s time to do what you want, you’ll be waiting until your 85th birthday.

Get busy. You’ve got a new year of possibilities to design.