LET me awaken you by giving you something important to think about this New Year. With 2015 gone and new resolutions to fulfill, you have to make hay to avoid failure in 2016. As the American World War 11 Force pilot, journalist and novelist, Kurt Vonnegut said, of all the words of mice and men, the saddest are: “It might have been”. So with 2016 upon you, realize that you have a priceless opportunity to fulfill your dreams.

Forget the past; forget your age and what might have been. Embrace this New Year as the first year of the rest of your life. At December 31, 2016, let there be no excuses, no regrets, such that with smiles you will emerge triumphant – with a sense of accomplishment.

Your first way to success is being the leader of your own journey. There are many capable people who don’t pursue their dreams and goals because they let their fears and others talk them out of it. They give up even before they try and simply allows life’s river carry them downstream. However, you must choose to be stronger by swimming upstream when you have to choose to do the things in life that move you. Let others lead small lives; let others argue over little things, but not you.

Take calculated risks: there is no excuse for being an amateur forever. Life is short; the day is rapidly approaching when the risk to remain perched in your nest is far more detrimental than the risk it takes to fly. Which is why you must fly immediately. Spread your wings now. What is disgrace it would be for you to grow old without ever seeing the beauty and strength of your full potentials. If it does not challenge you, it won’t change you. And change breeds growth. So when a goal seems too big and a plan looks tough, just start purling through it and soon the next thing, everything looks possible.

Step by step you can win through any obstacle. In the end, you are going to succeed because you are crazy enough to believe you can. Share your love openly and honestly with those you love. Realize that no matter how much time you spend with someone, sometimes it will never seem like you had enough together. Tell people what you need to tell them. Don’t shy away from conversations because you never know when you might lose your opportunity to see them. In life goodbyes are a gift. When people walk away from you, certain opportunities close their doors on you. When that happens, take it as a direct indication they are not part of the plan for the next step of your life. It is a hint that your personal growth requires someone different and something more.

When you start a new habit, a new project or a new business, you have a picture in your head about how the new relationship is going to play out. This idea often turns out to be entirely inaccurate. Life does not go as planned. People don’t behave the way we expect or were not as disciplined as expected. You had a fantasy and mistook it for reality and you were left with disappointment.

This let down can be really discouraging. Our lives are not what we hoped they would be and that hurts. Then, self doubt overcomes you. This setback chips away at your ego and causes you to doubt your abilities, your goals and ultimately yourself worth. You start asking am I good enough?” but self doubt never helps for successful achievement. What’s worse, feelings of helplessness settle in. it is unfortunate that when we fail, we become a victim of a mentality that prevents us from moving forward with our lives.

However, the good news is that there is hope. What works is you’re accepting reality and detaching from fantasies. There two kinds of pain. The pain that hurts and the pain that changes you. When you roll with life, instead of resisting it, both types of pain helps you grow. For progress in any situation, you must first accept the reality of what it is. This acceptance gives you a starting point from where you can move in any direction you choose. Denying reality or fighting the past is a mere waste of time. Acceptance is letting go. Forgiveness is a part of this process. About all negativity is caused by a lack of forgiveness and denial of the present.

So, embrace who you are and all of your weaknesses. Self doubt results from wanting desperately to be somebody we are not. So I challenge you to walk beside me on this journey to fame and riches. Stop pretending, accept yourself. Admit that you are human. Allow yourself to feel emotional pain so that you can grow beyond it. Remind yourself that everything in life is temporary.

Your big breakthrough will come when you recognize that all your losses and setback are only temporary. So don’t allow your temporary wounds to permanently transform you into a mediocre leader. A strong person isn’t the one who doesn’t cry. A strong person is the one who cries a while openly and then gets up to fight again and again for what he believes. Therefore, find gratitude in the present moment. That is how you can win over worry.