Happy New Year! 2006 is here, and if you're like most people, you were glad to kiss the old good-bye and ring in the new. But not so fast. It's interesting that many people act as if there is a statute of limitations on setting goals for a new year, and that if you haven't done it by now, you might as well forget it.

Well, my friends, I disagree. We need to take time to reflect...a lot of time to reflect before setting our sights on new horizons. I firmly believe that we are destined to repeat our mistakes and under-leverage our strengths, unless we dedicate some time to reflect on and learn from the past before targeting new goals for ourselves. In fact, the ancient Roman god Janus (after whom our month of January is named) had two faces: one looking backward and one facing forward, as a way of reminding us to take the lessons from the past with us as we build the future. (Notice I said "lessons" not regrets, unfinished business or limiting beliefs.)

So before you resign yourself to the "same old same old" or strike out toward goals that may be premature or pipe dreams, take some time to review the year just past. What were your highlights? What were the lowlights? And what did you learn from it all? These questions have been part of my annual review and goal-setting process since reading Jinny Ditzler's book Your Best Year Yet (R) several years ago. Your answers may surprise you, and in any case, taking the time to reflect will set the stage for a more effective goal-setting process.

And regardless of your spiritual persuasion, consider these words sent to me by a friend last year:

"If as Herod, we fill our lives with things and again with things, If we consider ourselves so unimportant that we must fill every moment of our lives with action, When will we have the time to make the long, slow journey across the desert as did the Magi? Or sit and watch the stars as did the shepherds? Or brood over the coming of the child as did Mary? For each one of us, there is a desert to travel, a star to discover and a being within ourselves to bring to life." ~Author Unknown

Take the time to reflect, to make the slow journey into a new year, with new goals and dreams, seasoned with wisdom from the past. And here's hoping that 2006 is the year you discover your own North Star.

Betty Mahalik has been coaching small business owners, independent professionals and leaders who want to achieve more but stress less, since 1996. Her background includes several years in the broadcasting and public relations fields prior to starting her own firm in 1987. She is an accomplished public speaker and corporate trainer specializing in communications, goal-setting and leveraging your strengths. Since 2001, she has written a weekly motivational message, free to subscribers, titled Monday Morning Coach.