How can we stack the cards in our favor? How can we make it more likely that we will be consistent with the changes we set forth to make and actually see a lasting change in our life? One of the keys is in the way we think about our goals and the language we use to describe them.

I can't compare myself with my social media peers out there. I know there isn't perfect balance in anyone's life. I know what works for me and I need to stick with my own formula for "success."

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.

You become the director, producer and actor of your own outcomes, from academic to career to healthy lifestyle goals. It's amazing what you can accomplish with positive thoughts.

January is not the problem. It's us. Well, our perfectionism, to be specific. Our all-or-none thinking frames our life so that if we're not succeeding every second, we're failing. Nobody wants that. But nobody can be that "perfect" person either.

Too many of us lead deferred lives. We don't feel worthy of our dreams until our "work" is done, and since obligations seem omnipresent, our dreams take a back seat and ultimately fade away.