Ok, so maybe you didn't do EVERYTHING you set out to in 1998.  But just for a moment, stand up, close your eyes and think of all the things in your life you treasure the most and the best experiences that you have had over the last year (or even further back, if you have some special successes you would like to recall). Preferably, write down a list. 

These experiences will and should be more than just "work related" experiences. You've probably done a lot more than you give yourself credit for.  What made these experiences special to you? What did you learn that was great, and why? Who were the special people who shared these experiences with you?

Make a movie of those experiences and accomplishments "in your head" so that you can replay the tape whenever you wish. Add as much light, sound, and color so that you can relive those experiences again, now. How did those experiences make you feel?  What words did you say to yourself when you had each experience? How did you stand, breathe and act? If you could have music that you love playing in the background, what would it be? Play the movie as many times as you can, snapping your fingers each time, so that when you snap your fingers the "success" movie will run automatically.

If you keep a journal, record the feelings and thoughts associated with your achievements. In each experience you will find the elements to you need to be successful and enjoy new experiences. This list will tell you a lot about why you do the things you do.  Your mind has a strong desire to return to these positive experiences and to recreate them in the future. They are the seeds of your future accomplishment and enjoyment.

Step 2: Be committed to learning and moving forward.

If there were challenging events that occurred in the past year, watch them as though you were watching someone else having the experience in a movie. You are separate, just and observer. Ask yourself what the "actor" is learning from these experiences. How will the information that "he/she" gained be useful to you in the future? If the experience was disturbing to you, play the experience again several times very quickly, but add the lighting, sound and color from your joyful experiences. Play the movie backward and then forward quickly a few times. Then replay the tape and watch the action again. The tape plays differently now with these elements added, doesn’t it?   Decide now that every movie you play (memory) will be a movie that you learn from, not one that makes you feel bad about what you "didn't do" or "wish you had done differently".  If you don't like a tape, learn what you can from it and then change it!