You were motivated a month ago. You were excited. But are you still determined now to have a great New Year?

For those who are still open to investing in themselves and doing the work, here’s an empowering and helpful exercise to get you started. Give yourself 15 minutes to write out the questions below. This is when you want to think big rather than settle. If you settle when you dream, you will settle in your life.

A few key things to know before you jump in:

• Just start. Any starting place is a good one—whether you had the best year last year or the most challenging one.

• Leave the “should” behind. Forget about what society, colleagues, family and friends think you should do with your life. Pursue only what speaks to you on an authentic and heart-based level.

• It’s not a competition. You are striving to become your personal top 1 percent. (This will mean something different to every manager, CEO, entrepreneur, mom, professional athlete and college student).

• Align your goals with your values to stay motivated. Your motivation will ebb and flow on your journey, which is perfectly normal. You have the greatest chance of success when you connect your goals with your values.

• Realize that “success” is a process. Oprah Winfrey, Richard Branson and Roger Federer didn’t start at the top, they worked hard and built a team to help them get to where they are today.

• Leave the negative talk behind. Yes, we all have it, but your work is in minimizing the interference so you can let your potential walk through the door.

Now, here are those exercises:

1. Define success. What will a successful 2014 mean to you? Is it about connecting with people, inspiring people, making money, reading to your children every night, changing jobs to do what you enjoy or believing in yourself?

2. Write down three wins for 2013 that you felt good about and why. Was it launching a new product, completing a half-marathon, buying your first home?

3. Write down three core values—for example, respect, learning and honesty.

4. Write down three of your strengths—for example, a positive outlook, determination and humor.

5. Write down three areas of your life or your business where you would like to improve or focus on. Perhaps your health, career, finances, relationships, fun, creativity, personal growth, marketing or business development.

6. Write down at least one goal for each area from Exercise 5. Be as specific as you can. When will you complete the goal? Why is it important?

7. Put a star next to the three goals that speak to your heart.

8. Focus on one goal at a time and write down three small steps you can take today or this week to start the process. Perhaps it’s signing up for a class, calling someone to get more information or registering a domain name.

These are great exercises to get your creative juices reflowing and to reopen new possibilities for a year that still is young. Here’s to wishing you all the best for a fulfilling year!