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Tis the season for making resolutions and, if you’re like most folks, you probably already have a list of projects and goals that you’re preparing to tackle in the New Year. According to a recent report by the University of Scranton’s Journal of Clinical Psychology, 45 percent of people make resolutions, but only about eight percent of people will actually prove to be successful before December 31, 2013.

And aside from scribbling plans to drop 15 pounds on a bar napkin or mentally tossing around an idea to start a new business, there may be a better – and much more effective – way to document hopes and dreams that vastly improves the odds of them actually coming true.

In 2006, Rhonda Byrne took over the literary world with her book The Secret. The self-help tome guided readers in the “law of attraction” – the idea that if we think positive thoughts, the universe will cause us to encounter people and opportunities that match those thoughts and feelings. One of the primary tools Byrne advocates in the book is the use of a vision board, constructed of a bulletin or poster board covered with pictures and phrases of an individual’s dream life.

The belief that staring at a board full of random magazine clippings can actually propel us into prosperity and happiness is still far-fetched to some, but with over 21 million books in print and $300 million in sales (from the book and related movie combined), it is evident that The Secret, or at least the theory it represents, is no fluke.

Kelly Daugherty received The Secret as a gift from a friend and, although she was initially one of the skeptics, decided to give vision boards a try as she prepared to launch Smashing Golf & Tennis, her unique line of athletic apparel-meets-shapewear.

“I’ll admit, I was a non-believer,” said Daugherty. “Actually I was more than a non-believer. I would tell people to stop wasting their time and that vision boards are for people that believe in voodoo, astrology and tarot cards.”

Ultimately, Daugherty was attracted to the notion that creating a vision board could help her to channel her efforts to get her startup off the ground.

“To me it was about focus and positive energy,” she added. “For example, I really wanted to be in specific media outlets, which meant I spent a lot of my day networking with media and trying to create new story ideas. In turn, I wasn’t spending as much time as I would have liked selling to additional geographic regions, but every time I would get distracted, I would go back to my vision board and say ‘In Year 1 — these are my goals. Attain these, and then make another board.’”

And vision boards aren’t just for business. As an international athlete, global soccer ambassador and owner of Eat Soccer, a website geared toward all things soccer, Qiana Martin saw such incredible success with her first, career-oriented vision board that she now makes one for nearly every facet of her life.

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Don’t you love that quiet lull the office falls into between Christmas and New Year’s Day? With clients and coworkers traveling for the holidays, the workplace can feel like an adult version of Home Alone. But, there are better things to do with your downtime than playing Facebook games or building towers out of office supplies with your cubicle mates. This is the perfect time of year to gain perspective on 2012, and get focused for the New Year. Follow these steps to make sure your mind is right for 2013.

When someone betrays your trust and truly breaks your heart, it’s always difficult to heal that wound. Maybe your boyfriend or spouse left without warning. Maybe you finally had the courage to leave him after years of abuse. No matter how it happened, a broken heart can leave deep and lasting scars  that can damage future relationships.  It’s important to try  to move past the hurt in order to live a healthy, full life and love again. Here’s some advice to begin the healing process.

The new year is coming soon, which means a clean slate for your goals and dreams.  Looking for something to “do” to start the new year off right?  Make a vision board!  Some people say that a vision board is a magnet for all the good things you want for yourself.  The idea is that you put your goals on the board and those things become a reality. To find out if that’s true, you’ll have to make one yourself and luckily, vision boards are fun and easy to create.

Join as I walk you through the construction of my vision board.