This is my first chance to wish you a Happy New Year. It’s going to be a GREAT year so prepare yourself for it. Put things in place now to capture the fullness of 2014.

The first and most important thing to do is to know WHY you do what you do. This question spans beyond your work, so don’t hesitate to integrate your personal and professional life.

You must be clear about your WHY. If you don’t work and live your WHY, your days, weeks and months will be a long, demanding marathon. Too many of your days will be spent grinding instead of enjoying. And much of it will be attributed to being directionless because you’ve lost your WHY.

Your WHY is a summation of your direction, passion and motivation that is fulfilled in the work you do. It generates discretionary effort to persevere, be creative, problem solve, and tolerate all the crap you have to endure. The WHY is what makes it all worthwhile.

As I write this, it sounds so pie-in-the-sky, doesn’t it? Yet those around you who thoroughly enjoy what they do have discovered their WHY. It propels them to greater energy and enthusiasm.

As you think about your WHY do these three things:

1. Articulate your WHY. If you don’t have a clear and compelling WHY, you are easily distracted, become discouraged, and reduce your work to… well, a job.

2. Align with your WHY. What to do and how to do are most effective when you have a WHY to do.

3. Remember your WHY. Simply pausing daily to remember your WHY will infuse you with the impetus to press on.

2014 has great promise for you and your firm. Begin this GREAT year by articulating, aligning and remembering your WHY.