The problem with many New Year’s resolutions is that they reinforce the very problems that keep us unhappy and unhealthy. They’re aimed at reshaping our bodies and ourselves to please others rather than fulfilling our own passions or aspirations. That’s why so often resolutions are quickly abandoned. And then we feel like failures.

My No Excuses Power Tune-Up and Journal is a set of questions you can ask yourself based on the 9 Ways power tools and practical tips I created in No Excuses. They apply to work, politics, and personal life. The questions can be used as a journal to jot down reactions and answers over the next year. Or, just to zero in on one problem and find a new insight or strategy for solving it.

I’m excited to report the Tune-Up has been written up on StyleGoesStrong.com, with these examples of how it can make for more productive New Year resolutions–resolutions we’ll want to keep:

1. We first need to change how we think about power. Define it on our own terms not as the traditional idea of power over (oppression) but as the expansive power to (leadership). Then we won’t resist our own power, but will be able to embrace it wholeheartedly for the good it will do.

2. Take a fresh look at our personal assets. What we need is there if we have the wisdom to see it and the courage to use it.

3. Carpe the chaos: seize the opportunity chaos brings. The current economic instability, for example, is a time when companies are much more open to new ways of doing things, including women moving into more responsible positions. And every major study finds that the skills women bring to the decision table result in better decisions and higher profits. Innovation always comes from the edges where chaos reigns.

4. Embrace controversy. Don’t think of it as conflict but as a teacher and an essential characteristic of a vibrant society. Use its energy to propel your ideas or authentic feelings forward.

5. Use movement building principles to make the changes we want at work and at home, as well as in political issues.

6. Stop following our dreams and start leading them.

7. Pass it all forward through the power of telling our stories.

Download the 9 Ways Power Tune-Up and Journal now. Enjoy it yourself, but also think about sharing it with a friend or using it as the basis of your book group discussion. Focusing on these power-full questions will help you lead an unlimited life. That’s more likely to energize you than worrying again about losing that persistent 10 pounds.

Let me know your thoughts and suggestions.