The holiday season gives everyone a chance to reflect on thispast year's marketing efforts.

As you do, you may possibly give thanks for continuedprosperity, and make plans to enter the New Year with a newresolve.

Because it's true: nothing happens unless we make it so.

What do you want?

Have you decided to allocate adequate funds for marketing innext year's budget? Have you decided on a specific direction foryour practice? What do you want to accomplish for your clients? Ifyou have decided to sell more product than last year, how muchmore, and do you have a defined plan to go forward? Is such a planin writing? Do you know how much you earned in 2016? Are yousatisfied with the production? If not, why?

Here are some other questions to consider as you look to the NewYear:

• What will your production be in 2017?
• Are you satisfied with your work ethic?
• Is your spouse satisfied with your work ethic?
• Can it be improved?
• How much improvement can be made?
• Is your quality of life what it should be?
• Does it need an upgrade or a renewal?
• Are you or your spouse driving a 16-year-old car because “it'spaid for,” and you 'e proud of it! Would a new Lexus or Mercedes bemore appropriate or comfortable?
• Does the old homestead need new furniture, or maybe you need anew homestead?
• Is it time to go after that dream home?

Have you succumbed to the negativity of the DOL fiduciary rule debate or presidential campaign or worrying over theeconomy or any other crutch that may be holding you back?

Self-inventory

Look, whatever circumstances you have been hiding behind upuntil now need to be discarded. It may be time for a seriousinventory of your motivations, your current status, your habits,and even your direction.

Are you proud of what you do for a living? If not, eitherdeclare the reasons to be proud of your work or change directioncompletely.

Related: Great accomplishments require a greatteam

Be honest with yourself

When creating your New Year priorities checklist, it isimperative that you are honest with yourself. You must decide onthe parts of your practice that are satisfying to you.

Does what you do truly serve your clients and do you enjoy yourpractice as it is? Be careful to begin this process now, instead ofprocrastinating. If you just stop and plan only and don't beginyour new year now, you may hit a wall when it comes to executingyour plan. Lost momentum, however small and slow, is hard toregain.

I personally would love to sell more term life insurancepolicies to young couples. I have two applications this week.That's without really trying.

When I meet a young couple, I ask the husband one question: “Inthe event of your untimely death, how long would you like your wifeto be able to wait before she must replace the love of her life andthe father to her children?” This single question almost alwaysgets a favorable answer. Selling young couples is very fulfillingto me as far as work is concerned.

However, I would have a very difficult time selling the requiredtwo policies a day to sustain the lifestyle that Carol and I areaccustomed to unless I use payroll deduction. Then I wouldeliminate the fun of personal interaction as I help young coupleswith essential protection.

So, I have been focusing on caring for old people, arrangingtheir assets and using products that secure their assets fromcatastrophic annihilation due to declining health. I like myclients and I enjoy the challenge of the work. It is satisfyingwhen victory is the result of a successful plan.

Organize and prepare

So my New Year is organized and prepared. I know who myprospects are and I know where to find them in large quantities. Iknow that I must locate people who have a sense of urgency to actand tenderly walk them through the discussion of asset protectionfrom declining health. I have a target income that exceeds lastyear.

A target schedule, a target product line, a target prospectdemographic, a target budget, and a targeted and specific marketingplan. Based on past performance, everything should go asplanned.

If you put your practice together this way, you are controllingthe outcome. If you don't, the outcome controls you.

Related: Top 7 insurance industry concerns for2017