From Rolling Stone’s 100 Best Songs of 2013 to Forbes’ Best Technology Stories of 2013, there were enough lists looking back on the past year for The Washington Post to run the Top 10 Best of 2013 Lists of 2013.

A lot can happen in a year, and the new year is a great time to look back upon the most noteworthy events, smile at the best memories, or revisit disappointments.  But it is an even better time to look ahead and figure out how you want to color in the blank slate in front of you.

While thinking about the future can be a scary concept, it is also necessary to achieving both happiness and success.

New Year’s resolutions may seem like a silly tradition of making promises that are never kept, but it has been proven that people are more likely to succeed in goals that are set at New Year’s. A study by John Norcross showed that 46 percent of people who set their goals at New Year’s were successful after six months, while only 4 percent of those who waited to make resolutions later reached success in the same timeframe.

Hopefully, you already have taken the time to set goals for what you want to accomplish in 2014, and if you haven’t, you might want to start now. It has only been a week, so I promise it’s not too late.

However, what is even more crucial to future happiness and success is your attitude. If you are someone who thinks New Year’s resolutions are a waste of time, chances are you are less likely to achieve your goals anyway, because the key to achieving your goals is motivation and a positive outlook.

The main reason why so many more people are successful in their goals set by January 1, is they have motivation and drive—they actively want to achieve their goals. Unless you care about your goals and are motivated to pursue them, your resolutions are likely to be a flop.

You need to commit to fulfilling your goals.

A positive attitude goes hand in hand with motivation. You first have to believe that you have some control in the events of the next year, and then you also have to believe that you are able to follow through and reach the goals you set.

In my opinion, being optimistic is the most vital ingredient to success. If you have faith in yourself, you will be more driven to work towards your goals and you’ll enjoy the process more. Yes I know it’s cheesy, but you should always assume that you are able to do anything you set your mind to. I can’t guarantee this will give you a 100 percent success rate, but it will definitely lead to better results than assuming you can’t and giving up before you start.

The only thing in the way of you fulfilling your wildest dreams for 2014 is yourself. And maybe the laws of physics. But seriously, set a goal for yourself—something you really want to happen, something that will make you feel really happy and content—and start working on it. It won’t happen overnight, but if you put some effort into it, you will only continue to get closer to achieving that goal.