Make 2017 Your Year With These Tricks, Tips and Inspirational Stories

The New Year's resolution is meant to inspire change. To drive you to action. To set the tone for the year to come. But it is a flawed device. Consider its implications: There is one time a year, the resolution says, in which you can truly make change. It's like a train that departs annually. Didn't make it to the station on time? Hopped on for a little while but then tumbled off into the passing fields? Oh, well -- ride out the next 11 months on your butt, and try again next year!

But the New Year's resolution does get one thing right: It's healthy to find a moment, step back and take stock. And as the calendar turns over, there's no more natural time to do that. So in these stories, we give you the tools and inspiration to take everything up a notch. You already work hard. You are already innovating. You're not starting from zero. But you can always achieve greater goals or jump-start new passions or grow your business or find a little more sanity in your work. Remember: January is neither the beginning nor the end of something. It's just part of the journey. A year is a lot of time in which to seize opportunities.