Life's commas are just like the ones we got used to during those mundane classroom lessons. They are a time to pause, reflect, catch our breath then move on. They aren't the end.

How can you learn to embrace risk for the sake of your future happiness, particularly when risk taking doesn't come to you naturally? When you think about making a change, focus only on what you have to gain, and banish all thoughts of what you might lose.

Your subconscious mind doesn't know the difference between what is real and imagined. And if you believe something to be real with every fiber of your being, your subconscious will do everything in its power to prove you right -- by making your dream a reality.

The methods I employ to achieve my goals are quite simple. I have them, I set them, but then I let them go and just do the next thing, showing up as fully as I can with who I am, wherever I am and in whatever I am doing.

Given up on all hope of maintaining the resolution you were so fervent about back in January? Believe it or not, you can still make good on your New Year's Resolution. Happiness expert and sociologist Dr. Christine Carter shares how.

The reason why it's so hard to stick to new habits is that we often try to achieve a performance or appearance-based goal without changing our identity. Most of the time, we try to achieve results before proving to ourselves that we have the identity of the type of person we want to become.

I recently had the great pleasure of sitting down with my dear friend Tara Stiles to talk about our New Year's resolutions, our new projects and our positive outlook for the year to come.

Often, when we consider making a New Year's resolution, we think about adding new activities to our day-to-day lives -- doing more by getting stricter with ourselves. Although there can be value in this approach to creating change, sometimes what we most need is just the opposite.

If you want things to change, you have to decide to make things change. Just as we need to establish what our goals are, we also need to make a commitment to those goals.

The strategy that has helped hundreds of my patients over the years is one that replaces self-doubt, fear, and anxiety about making changes with a sense of certainty, control, and fearlessness. Here are my surefire steps to successfully sticking to your fitness goals for 2013.

As we prepare to turn the page on 2012 and ring in 2013, it's highly likely that most of us will be making resolutions regarding weight loss that go something like, "I want to lose 30 pounds in three months." Over the past 20 years, I have come to realize that having a goal by itself does not lead to success.

Many resolutions are just a wish and a dream (which is a great place to start), but they lack the long-term planning and vision to carry them out to success. So, why not ditch the "r" word all together and commit to real change that will last?

Each goal is measurable, stated in present tense and set within a time frame. We've visualized it, written it down, and maybe even posted it on our bathroom mirror. We've told our supportive friends about it and even come up with an action plan. So why is it so hard to get into action?

The best place to begin is always with gratitude. Don't wait until you feel better to do this work. Now is the time. You will never arrive. You will never get where you think you're going, because life will always take you in a direction you couldn't have imagined.

Intentions and goals are tools for liberation. But when we use goal-chasing like a hammer, it can beat up on our self-esteem, relationships, and creativity.

There are times in your life where you just feel something inside you pushing you to be more, to be bigger. While I know there are so many people in my life who can help me be a better version of myself, I also am learning there is no better person than myself to help me get there.

It's a crime against the human spirit that we so often disassociate positive emotions from the pursuit of success. We tell ourselves that It'll be worth it when we get there, and we grind and crank and endure our way to the goal posts.

When it comes to reaching your goals and avoiding temptation, you need to plan how you will replace bad habits with good ones, rather than focusing only on the bad habits themselves.

We tend to think mistakes get in the way of progress or, worse, mean failure. With small tasks, that's likely. But when it comes to thinking big and achieving something over time, error is an important part of the process.

Cultivate your realistic optimism by combining a positive attitude with an honest assessment of the challenges that await you. Don't visualize success -- visualize the steps you will take in order to make success happen.

Do you really believe in change? Do you really think that you can transform your life? These are important questions, especially at the beginning of a new year when most of us have, once again, made "New Year's resolutions."

I believe in the small idea, the small thought and the small bite. The only way I've succeeded at anything is to take small steps.