Timing is everything. In case some of your New Year's Resolutions slipped during January and February, here's another chance with 10 of the best we've seen.

By Mike Lipkin

Resolution: intentions that one formulates mentally for virtuous conduct; boldness and firmness of purpose; (Oxford Dictionary)

So it’s December 2001. You’ve almost made it through another year, the mother of all years. How are you feeling? Exhausted? Scared? Depressed? Relieved? Angry? Devastated? Grateful? Nervous? Confident? All of the above? You’re in good company. Welcome to the Fear Economy. No one truly knows what’s really going on anymore. Confusion is the national state of mind. Ninety percent of us worry about the next terrorist attack; more than half of us doubt our ability to manage life’s increasing complexity; two thirds of us believe we won’t be able to take care of ourselves when we grow old and one out of two of us will die from heart disease, cancer or diabetes. We’re into a deep recession and even the mail can kill you. Not a pretty picture. Not a pretty world.

It’s not fair, you say. Maybe. But fairness doesn’t live here anymore. It’s been replaced by massive unpredictability. In the new borderless world, nothing is unimaginable — for better or for worse. Even two oceans can’t protect us from the underdogs who turn into the underwolves and bite back. It’s been the best of times. Are we now headed for the worst of times? Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Nothing in life has any meaning, except the meaning you give it. One thing is for certain, though, if you’re still in pursuit of health, wealth and personal well-being, you’ll find it in only one place: deep within yourself. According to the Environics’ Social Values Research, the number one indexed value of those people who thrive on these times of chaos and change is Autonomy, the belief that, irrespective of circumstance, they are in control of their own destiny. They live by Viktor Frankl’s maxim: It’s not what you expect of life, it’s what life expects of you. As the saying goes, you can’t always get the weather you like, but you can always like the weather you get.

So what does life expect of you in 2002? Better yet, what do you expect of yourself? What intentions have you formulated for virtuous conduct next year? As importantly, how strong is your commitment to your commitments? For the vast majority of us, New Year Resolutions begin evaporating as soon as they’re made. Often, they’re made tongue-in-cheek with alcohol fueled fervor. Even as we make them, we remember what happened to our vows last year, and we smile to ourselves, "Yes, this will be the year I honor my resolutions…" Yeah, right.

Well, here’s the defining truth of 2002: we are all being held to a higher standard. The age of indulgence ended on September 11. It’s been replaced by the age of accountability. If not you, then who? There is no "they". No one and no-thing are going to make things better. There are only two megatribes of people - those who make it happen and those who wonder what happened. As the ads for Kenneth Cole declare, "It’s not what you stand in, it’s what you stand for." The most valuable people will be those who consistently enhance the people and the world around them. Anyone can have an excellent game, but only the best have game excellence. So how do you achieve game excellence when the game is getting tougher and tougher? You make the right resolutions, and then you follow through. You practice what the Japanese call Maykoto: You say what you’ll do and then you do what you say. Your yes means yes and your no means no.

So here are ten of the best New Year’s Resolutions you can make. They are based on The Ten Personal Best Practices formulated by Environics/Lipkin, the specialist Motivation Company in the Environics Research Group. These are the personal strategies and actions designed to achieve maximum impact in a topsy-turvy world:

1. Resolve to stay brutally optimistic. See the opportunity in every difficulty not the difficulty in every opportunity. Anticipate the most favorable outcome out of every situation. Whatever you look for, that’s what you’ll find. We can get better or we can get bitter. It all depends on the lessons we draw from each experience. Hope is not a place in B.C. It’s the indispensable energy of success. Optimism is like electricity — very little happens without it. No self-pity parties allowed, especially when others are depending on you. Know this truth: you have all the resources you’ll ever need to handle all the challenges you’ll ever have. It’s in the true emergencies that the true you emerges.
   
   
2. Resolve to identify the most powerful benefit you offer to the people around you and then deliver it. "The purpose of life" said George Bernard Shaw, "is a life of purpose". What’s yours? Where are you investing your personal energy — on self-preservation or adding value to others. Here’s the well-being paradox: if you’re only concerned about yourself, you cannot take care of yourself. Only by helping others, can you succeed. This is not the creed of the Good Samaritan. It’s the primary source of motivation that sustains the Go-To people in tough times. So, for example, my mission is "To excite people into action." I have to walk that talk. I have to be excited so I can excite others.
   
   
3. Resolve to pump up your Personal Vitality. In the game of life it’s not about who’s right, it’s about who’s left. Over 60 percent of us are over 36 years old. The real currency of the 2000’s is not cash, it’s vitality. It’s the ability to keep going 24/7/365 with vigor and verve. All you are to the people around you is a source of energy. Either you lift them up or you bring them down. And you cannot give what you don’t have. Ninety percent of all adults do no physical exercise at all. More than half of us is overweight. A third of us still smoke. So this year, resolve to enhance your physical, emotional and mental vitality. Take just a small step. Invest in a gentle program. First you’ll amaze yourself and then you’ll amaze everybody else.
   
   
4. Resolve to be Habitually Generous. Success is not something you pursue. It’s something you attract by what you become. The more you give of yourself, the more favors you attract from others. It’s called The Law of Reciprocity. People have a deep-rooted drive to give back. So resolve to proactively search for ways to contribute to others. Live above the line. If the line represents others’ expectations of you, consistently exceed those expectations. You’ll develop what Ken Blanchard calls "Raving Fans", people who become walking billboards for you, your product and your service. And you’ll be able to call in favors when you need them most.
   
   
5. Resolve to go on a mental diet. Sticks and stones can break your bones, but words can scar you for life. It’s humans, not elephants, who never forget. So resolve to use the language of Conciliation, not the language of Confrontation. Avoid the temptation to vent your negativity on others. Instead, seize every opportunity to describe what’s going on around you in an empowering manner. Use words that express your joie de vivre and connection with others. The words you use determine the nature of your experience. Make sure they’re good ones.
   
   
6. Resolve to be a Global Citizen, fully open to the cultures and influences of others. There is a direct correlation between personal well-being and openness to other peoples’ ideas and cultures. If someone has a different point of view to you, they’re probably right as well. There are no absolutes anymore. No one has a patent on right and wrong. So celebrate diversity. Welcome different opinions. Become a one-person champion for plurality. Not only will you make lots of new friends, but you’ll also gather multiple reference points to help you resolve personal challenges.
   
   
7. Resolve to take Control of Your Destiny. Don’t be so busy trying to make a living that you forget to make a life. You’re in charge of your own life, so take charge. Decide who you want to be and what you want to achieve. And then stride boldly towards your vision. Give yourself a personal heads-up. The most precious human commodity today is Confidence. That’s what people crave both in themselves and in others. Confidence and Control of Destiny are Siamese Twins. Unless you believe that you are in control of your destiny, how can you be confident? And remember this truth: Wherever you are right now is where you are supposed to be right now because that’s where you are right now. So deal with it and move on.
   
   
8. Resolve to increase your human connectivity. The person with the best connections wins. The wider your network, the more opportunities you generate. It’s all about trust. And it’s all about profile — your presence in the minds of the people who matter. So irrespective of what you do for a living, resolve to reach out. Invest at least ten percent of your time broadening your sphere of influence. Connect other people to opportunities within your network — cross pollinate their potential. When you are with others, make every encounter a pleasurable one. Go for the magic in them, and they will go for the magic in you. When you listen, truly listen. Demonstrate how much you enjoy being with them. And burn your fear of rejection. There is no such thing as rejection anyway - there are just those people who can’t appreciate quality.
   
   
9. Resolve to increase your creativity by letting go of the familiar. Nothing is as far away as yesterday. As Salman Rushdie writes, every year is the Stone Age to the year that follows it. Experience can be the ultimate liability because the past is a very different place to the future. See the world through fresh eyes everyday. When the student is ready, the teacher will appear. So be ready. Open yourself up to inspiration and it will find you. Listen to your intuition and follow your instincts, they’ll tell you what to do before your head has had a chance to figure it out. I promise you that you are a Picasso or Einstein at something. Discover what it is and then develop it to the maximum. For example, I believe I am a Picasso at using the written and spoken word to excite others. That’s why I now process all my experiences to help me enhance that skill. What’s your Picasso? How are you developing it?
   
   
10. Resolve to be you because others are already taken. You and I are at our best when we’re being authentic. We’re at our best when we’re being positively spontaneous because that’s when all our energy is being invested in the person in front of us or the task at hand. In a hyper-competitive world, we cannot afford to second-guess ourselves. If you’re hiding behind a mask or trying to be what you’re not, timidity and ambivalence will get you. Success in the new, new age is all about speed. Who dares, wins. He who hesitates is lost. So jettison the Impostor Syndrome — the fear that one day someone is going to discover that you’re not that clever. You’ve earned the right to be you, others want you to be you, so step up and be the best you can be. Nelson Mandela expressed it best in his Inauguration speech as President of South Africa on May 10 1994:

"We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." (Note. These words were actually written by Marianne Williamson)

So there you have it, ten New Year Resolutions to improve your life in 2002. If all you do, though, is make one New Year’s resolution and then really stick to it, 2002 will be a great year for you. So decide. Fight the Good Fight, stay the course, and keep the faith. And as Luke Skywalker said to Han Solo, "May the Force be with you!"