In years past I’ve felt a twinge of angst when the New Year began. Trust me when I say I love fresh starts and new beginnings. I love the feeling that anything is possible, and I love how I get a boost of energy in early January to chart a new course for myself. For the most part it feels really wonderful.

But this twinge I’ve referred to is a feeling, sometimes deep down inside, that I might not actually be able to follow through on this new course I’ve set for myself. I might not reach the goals I’ve written down. I might not be able to actually create and live this new life I’ve begun.

The New Year can feel like a mixed bag of hope and vast opportunity mixed with a dose of fear and past proof that tells me I can’t have what I really want. There is a way around this – a way to side step failed resolutions and dashed attempts at sudden and radical change. This new way is the most powerful thing you can do to start your year off on the right foot, and keep walking in the direction of your desires.

The most powerful thing you can do is slow down and take time to get clear on your vision for the New Year.

It’s really not rocket science. Nor is it pointless daydreaming and idle time spent twiddling your thumbs and wishing someone would give you a vision for your life. This is actually very powerful stuff – the kind of stuff that creates universes and new possibilities. And it’s only limited by your mind. Really, anything is possible.

Rather than taking full stock of all of your flaws, faults and shortcomings, why not pay closer attention to the things that light you up and make you come alive? Why not get clear on the things you want to do more of? The things you really want to experience and the things that you’d feel really good about accomplishing? Why not start there, in the good feeling place, and let it guide you toward creating a life that feels really delicious?

Draw a hot bath, or snuggle up in a warm blanket by the fire, bring your journal or a pen and piece of paper, and just begin. You are a powerful creator in your life, so give your creative capacities a direction, and let the things that excite and animate you be your guide and compass. Set aside 60 – 90 uninterupted minutes, and let’s begin!

1) Make a list of 5 – 10 things, big and small, that you really want to enjoy and experience this year. Is it travel? The completion of a big project? Is it re-kindling a relationship or doing something out of your comfort zone like sky diving or kick boxing? Is there a certification you want? Is there a business you want to begin? Is there something that is calling to you, but maybe you’ve put it on the back burner again and again and again?

Write your list down, and be certain they are all things that ignite a fire of excitement in your belly and make you want to do a little happy dance. This list should include things that feel big and significant in some way. They are things that will be benchmarks in your year – markers for a year that was lived well and on purpose.

2) Next, write a list of 5 – 10 things that you want to do more of. Maybe it’s drinking green smoothies, or dancing, or time outside with your kids. It could be taking more baths, or getting more sleep. What things, if you were to do more of them, would make your year more delicious? More beautiful? More fun?

3) Once you’ve completed the “more” list, write a list of 5 – 10 things that you would like to accomplish this year. It could be organizing the garage or your wardrobe (if the idea of an organized garage or wardrobe lights you up!). It could be getting a family heirloom refurbished so that it can be enjoyed today, writing a book, running a half-marathon, finishing a college degree or completing a project you’ve been working on but finished yet.

Your list of accomplishments can be big or small things, and they can be things that you personally complete, or you bring in a support system to assist you in completing. The most important thing is that you look forward to doing, accomplishing and completing these things.

How do you know if it’s the “right” things to put on your list? When you think about the items on your list, notice how your body feels. If you feel significant heaviness in your body when you think about a particular item, or if it feels like you are forcing yourself to do it, then it’s likely not the “right” thing to go on your list.

Life is full of things that we have to or should do. The lists you are making here are not meant to add to the have to’s and shoulds. They are meant to bring the elements of lightness, energy and joy into your life. They are the things that are going to make your year amazing. Keep this in mind.

4) Now, get a calendar out and start planning when you’re going to do the things that you really want to experience. Choose your top 3 or 5 from your “enjoy and experience” list, and start planning. May or June would be a lovely time of year in Paris. If the certification you want to complete begins in April, put it in your calendar. Tai Chi classes are on Monday evenings? Put them in your calendar. Begin planning your life around the things you want to experience and enjoy. Make them a priority now instead of trying to fit them into your schedule later.

5) Look at your “more of” list. Choose your top 3 – 5 and recognize that you may need to shift some things in your daily schedule to allow for more of these new things. If you wrote that you want to get more sleep, or read more books, how might that shift your daily schedule? What might you need to give up in order to make space for sleep and reading? If spending more time in nature is on your list, how can you do that easily, every day or every week? How can you actually plan for these things to happen effortlessly in your day-to-day life?

6) Next, look at your list of accomplishments, choose your top 3 – 5, and ask yourself, “What kind of support and accountability can I put into place for myself to help me accomplish these?” Support and accountability are going to make the biggest difference in any endeavor you take on. Perhaps the support looks like a gym partner that you go to the gym with 3 times a week. Maybe it’s a tutor or a fellow student that you’ll study with on a regular basis to complete your degree. A life or health coach can be the perfect support, or maybe it means hiring an expert to complete the task for you, especially if the task is something that is outside of your knowledge base or comfort zone, like refurbishing an automobile or decorating your home.

Take a nice breath.

Can you feel how powerful this is? You’ve not only gotten clear on what you want to enjoy and experience this year, you’ve also included the things you want to do more of, and the things you’d really love to accomplish. There is one last step to powerfully create the year of your dreams, and it’s the most powerful step of all.

7) Imagine it’s the end of 2015. You’ve lived this year already, and now you’re looking around yourself at the evidence of what your year has looked and felt like. How do you feel? What do you notice? Are you looking at that antique mirror you bought in the Parisian flea market? Are you listening to the sounds of your new sleeping baby? Or are you hanging the diploma from your university graduation? What have you enjoyed, experienced and accomplished?

Write a vision from the perspective that the year is already complete; you’ve already done it. Set a timer and give yourself 12 minutes. Infuse your vision with lots of detail and emotion, and tune into what it’s going to feel like when you’ve given yourself full permission to live this extraordinary year.

This vision is your powerful roadmap to your 2015. It’s also a beautiful way to enlist the spiritual support of your angels, teachers and guides. When you declare to God/Universe/Higher Power what you intend to experience, and when you make your vision come alive with detail and emotion, it sets something powerful in motion both within you and in the universe. You become the powerful co-creator of your reality and your life.

I invite you to put this powerful process to the test. It doesn’t matter that it’s already the final week of January. This is a potent process that can powerfully kick-start your year into high gear at any point in time. All you need to do is set aside 60 – 90 minutes of your time to get really clear on the kind of year you want to create, make your lists, place things in your calendar, and write your vision for your most fulfilling, enjoyable and rewarding year yet.

I’d love to hear how this goes for you!