Happy New Year! 2011 has arrived, and my Facebook and Twitter feeds are filled with high hopes for the new year. I love hearing about people’s goals and plans for this year. What’s your vision for 2011? Do you want to see a new you this new year? I do. In fact, each year I hope to see a new and improved me. I want to embrace every opportunity to become a better version of myself.

It rocks to be me. It really does. One of the reasons I have such a positive attitude and a “zest for life” (so I’ve been told) is because I love myself while always believing that I can improve. I firmly believe that I am a work in progress, and I am patient with myself because I know that change takes time. I want to be the most awesome Amber Fogarty I can be. What does that mean? It means I’m constantly striving to be a better wife, a better mother, a better daughter, a better sister, a better business partner, and so on.

This year I’m committed to my Top 10 List, which includes goals that will help me to improve myself personally and professionally. I can envision how my life will be better when I achieve these goals. Not only will my life be better, but I can also see the lives of those around me improving as I change and become the best version of myself I can be.

How will I stay on track? I have processes in place to hold myself accountable, as well as several trusted accountability partners who will remind me of my goals when I get off track. I recognize the importance of sharing my goals with people who love me enough to hold me accountable and not let me off the hook when I lose focus on what matters most.

From the Protecting Goals program I facilitate, I’ve learned that to protect my goals, I must protect my energy. We all have certain activities (and people) that drain our energy so I do my best to stay in my “high payoff activities,” which are those activities that directly contribute to the achievement of one of my goals.

Throughout my day, I ask myself repeatedly, “Is this the best use of my time right now?” It’s so easy to get distracted from my high payoff activities with dozens of interruptions and a lengthy list of action items. When I stop and ask this question, it helps me to refocus and return to my prioritized task list for the day. My days are much more productive when I work this way.

In closing, I’ll share a quote that was an instrumental part of my upbringing and is now a vital part of our coaching business: