Are you looking to embark on a path of self improvement for the new year, a new phase of life, or just because? You may wonder what the first steps are to making positive, lasting changes in your life. One handy mental exercise that may help you is to observe how successful people handle themselves, and attempt to emulate those positive habits. Below you will find some tips to get you started.

Set and achieve goals. It's difficult to reach your personal goals when you aren't even sure what they are. If you're wanting to make lasting positive changes in your life, then use the SMART goal system. SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic, and Timely. Goals naturally fall into an outline format, with bigger goals being broken down into smaller, stepping stone goals. To get clear on personal goals, list things you want to accomplish in your life by category. For example, health and fitness, business or career, social, educational, family relations. Write down broad goals for each category, then break those goals down into goals. Successful people definitely set goals, so if you want to be one then get into the habit of being an achiever.

Be proactive instead of reactive. Reactive people wait for other people to take action first. The problem of course comes when the action wasn't what they had in mind. Then, they may end up complaining, which of course causes negativity in their relationships and involvements with others. Or, they harbor resentment because their failure to make things happen has essentially cause them to hand over the controls to someone else. Proactive people initiate. They put ideas and plans into motion, and this makes them more likely to achieve their hopes and dreams.

Be assertive instead of passive aggressive. What is passive aggression? It is essentially defiance. Passive aggressive people use negative communication, negative body language and emotionally immature behavior to either prevent others from achieving their desired outcomes, or to get what they want while thwarting other people in the process. Assertive people, on the other hand, are forthright in their words and actions. Assertive people seek an open and honest dialogue with their workmates, family members and anyone with whom they relate. Assertive people encourage two-way communication, compromise and cooperation. Assertive people also know how to express their own needs and wishes without hurting others in the process. This enhances their relationships which causes others to want to work with them rather than against them, thus bolstering their chances for success.

Stop assigning blame to others, and instead offer benefit of the doubt. One way successful people become that way is to recognize that putting the fault on others simply delays positive outcomes and spreads negativity. We either waste time complaining instead of accomplishing, or we actually confront people in a direct blaming situation which causes resentment to build in our relationships and ultimately gets people working against us.

Empower others. Everyone is good at something, and everyone wants to feel useful and recognized for making a meaningful contribution. We deal with people every day, in all aspects of life including home life, family life, school, work, social life and personal interests. In all of these areas, we interact with others and we operate in either a supportive or supervising role.

No matter which role you play (supporter versus supervisor), you will have the chance to help others feel good and recognize their personal power - that thing they do that will make a positive difference, either to the project, the group, or in life in general (or all of the above). If you take the time to point out the strengths in others, thank them for their effort, and recognize them for their contributions, you are sure to bring out the best in everyone which means you'll be creating success as a team. Success gains momentum when fueled by empowerment. So if you're successful by yourself, imagine what amazing things you can accomplish with others on your side.
Here is a simple trick that would help you to get out of your own way.
Identify your own behaviors that may be holding you back. Once you isolate your own personal roadblocks, you can move toward newer, better habits that will set you free and make it easier to accomplish personal goals.
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