Good stewardship of your talents will contribute to your success throughout your lifetime. Good stewardship will provide your career with sustainable momentum in virtually any competitive or economic environment.

Where some folks get into trouble is they either don't really know what their strengths are or they have been deluded somehow into believing they are far more talented, have almost immeasurable potential, in areas where their skill sets are zero. These people are in deep wheat and have little clue what a tough road lies ahead for them.

Turn away, for a moment, from the cacophony of "you can be whatever you want to be" and seriously look at what you do well and how much you enjoy doing it. I wish I could remember who said, "Find a job doing something you love and you'll never work a day in your life."

New Year's Day always brings with it renewed hope and dreams of better days to come. If you skip watching the parades and football games, you'll have plenty of time to think about what the rest of 2012 holds for you.

Don't worry, it's not a day wasted. Besides, it's leap year and you get an extra day free.