It’s January 2, 2013, and dreams abound. The year is young, with 363 days ahead of us - each one full of promise and countless opportunities to transform your dreams into reality - but will you?

This time each year, I watch friends boldly declare they’ll launch a new business and kick their 9-to-5, become a successful photographer, or learn to play an instrument. The problem is, they never try. As we walk through the next year, our once important goals are tossed out like highway litter, only to be found by the most astitute observers later on.

This is the sad reality, where the only markers indicate failure. Thankfully though, a little effort can change it all. If you truly dislike your current work situation, dedicate a bit of time each week to finding the solution. Write a business plan, buy your domain, and if necessary, learn to write HTML. Purchase a camera, take some photography classes, and make images that speak from your heart. Whatever your goal is, taking tiny steps will reduce the load and help it seem attainable.

American author Napolean Hill once said, “a goal is a dream with a deadline,” and I agree. Almost every resolution we make has the potential to positively alter our life in a considerable way, yet we ignore it. The proclamation is simple, but following through, even if the benefits are certainly life-altering, is far more difficult.

It’s January 2, 2013, and I ask, what is most important to you? Which of your resolutions have the greatest potential to improve your life? Does it seem unattainable now that the new year has arrived? Step back, take a breather, and break your goals down into managable chunks. Next, you act. Act with conviction, executing each step with greater perfection than the last, as you move towards completion. Without action, your dreams are little more than notes in a dusty book; action breathes new life into them, allowing them to stand on their own as testaments to your ingenuity and prowess, rather than the failures you would rather hide.

Which dream will define this year, and how will you spend the time needed to achieve it? If you put in the work, how will you feel 363 days from now? What if you don’t? Remember, every dream is attainable, but it requires work to avoid a far-too-common case of New Year Dissolution.