30 Awesome Traits Guaranteed To Help You Actually Accomplish Your 2025 New Year's Resolutions

The minute December hits, I start thinking about my goals for the next year. I start with my values. What’s important to me? What’s the end goal? What kind of person do I want to be known as?

Then, I move on to categories. What categories do I want to maintain or improve? Health, education, career and relationships are usually on the list. Next, I’ll come up with 1–2 specific or SMART goals for each category.

Now, I’m off to figure out what the next steps are!

What I don’t always think about are the internal traits that I have or could develop more.

Think and Grow Rich

I read Napoleon Hill’s Think & Grow Rich many years ago and it created a massive shift in my mindset. I like to call this book, the OG of manifesting.

The book was originally published in 1937. I admit, it’s not the easiest read. It’s biased towards a white male. But, it’s filled with gold nuggets of information. One section titled The 30 Major Causes of Failure is an interesting section. It’s great information, but instead of focusing on the negative traits, I thought I would flip the script.

Based on that original list, here are the top 30 traits to help you crush any 2024 resolution.

30 Epic Traits to Crush Your New Year’s Resolutions

1. Some smarts or access to people with smarts. If there’s a subject you can’t learn, partner up with someone who can!
2. A well defined purpose. Only 2% of people Hill interviewed had a well defined purpose. Hill also states earlier in the book that it’s crucial to write down this purpose.
3. Ambition. Aim to perform above average and have a desire to get ahead.
4. Some Education. This means a basic education, but also higher education OR experience. Hill also notes, “Education consists not so much of knowledge, but of knowledge effectively and persistently applied.”
5. Self- Discipline. Before you can control conditions, you must first control yourself. If you don’t conquer self, you will be conquered by self.
6. Health. We say it all the time, “health is wealth.” Even 100 years pre-Covid19, Hill realized that if you are not mentally, physically & spiritually well — nothing else really matters. So take care of yourself. Are you eating right, getting physical activity, going to the doctor, taking your medications, etc? If not, now’s a great time to add that to your 2022 goal list.
7. A Good Influence. Hill mentions that people who make poor decisions, had bad influences growing up. I don’t know if this is 100% true, but who we look up to can make a big difference in the direction of our life.
8. Ability to Not Procrastinate. Procrastination is common. We all suffer from it every now and then. The trick is, don’t let procrastination become a habit. Also realize that there is never a perfect time to start any new task. To quote Hill “Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along.”
9. Persistence. You have to survive to thrive. Basically, don’t give up easy. We’re all good at starting something new, but many of us have a hard time following through. When things get tough, keep going.
10. Positivity. People love working with positive people. A negative attitude will get you nowhere.
11. Ability to Control Your Urges. So… this is awkward. Hill mentions a piece about being able to control your sexual energy. I’ll just leave it at that.
12. Ability to Work. You know that person who wants something for nothing? Yeah, don’t be that guy or gal. Be willing to put in the work to get the results you’re looking for.
13. Decision Making Skills. Do your best to reach a decision promptly and change your decisions slowly. Indecision, like procrastination, will kill your dreams.
14. Ability to Overcome Fear. Hill does a whole chapter on this on in the book. Don’t let fear hold you back from your dreams!
15. A Good Partner. I love this one. A supportive partner or at least a supportive group of people around you, can make a world of a difference!
16. Ability to Take a Chance. Over-caution and under-caution can both kill your dreams. Don’t be afraid to jump on an opportunity with calculated risk!
17. Good Business Partners. Similar to #15, be mindful of who you get into business with. Do your due diligence and research their character. Having a positive professional network can speed up your success!
18. An Open Mind. As Hill puts it “Men who succeed keep open minds and are afraid of nothing.”
19. A Vocation You Like. Notice he didn’t say LOVE. With that said, if you’re crying on your way to work every day, it’s going to be hard to get ahead or focus on anything else you have going on. Find something that suits you.
20. Concentration of Skill. A jack of all trades is a master at none. Becoming an export at something will propel you faster than being kinda good at many things. But, in 2022, the job market has changed quite a bit. Employers are looking for well rounded skill sets. So, pick a main subject you can speak to and look for opportunities to gain different areas of experience on the subject.
21. Healthy Spending Habits. Ah-ha! That’s right, spending intentionally can help you reach many different types of goals! Getting stuck in a paycheck-to-paycheck loop gives you zero wiggle room (mentally or financially) to take chances or invest in yourself.
22. Enthusiasm. Did you know that enthusiasm is contagious? Yep, and unlike many other things over the last couple years, people love to catch it. Be the spreader of enthusiasm and you’ll be someone people love to be around.
23. Tolerance. This means that we’re always willing to get new knowledge, even on subjects we feel confident about.
24. A Good Temperament. Keeping your attitude in check can be a benefit to you and those around you.
25. Cooperation. No one likes being told what to do all of the time. Whether it’s in your family, friend group or workplace, knowing how to effectively corporate can help you accomplish many different goals.
26. Acquired Power. What Hill explains on this point, is power that is received with no effort isn't worth a whole lot. In his words, “quick riches are more dangerous than poverty.” However, power acquired through hard work is used more effectively.
27. Honesty. The truth will always catch up with you. So, start off right being honest with yourself and others.
28. Humbleness. Letting your ego rule your life can lead to disaster. Lead with humility and let the good things in life come your way.
29. Ability to Do Your Own Research. Don’t be OK with taking someone’s word for every decision. Take the time to do your own research and watch the benefits pay off.
30. An Emergency Fund. Why? Because everyone makes mistakes and has unexpected events come their way! Don’t let the unexpected ruin the chance to accomplish your resolutions. Stay prepared!

Annual Self Audits

In the book Think & Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill recommends that we use this list in an annual self audit, using trait #27. Take an honest look at where you are with each trait. Hill also adds that if we have trouble being honest with ourselves, we can try talking with our closest friends, family & co-workers for feedback. Offer to review this list with each other.

Try rating yourself on a 1–5 scale. This way you can leverage your strengths and pick 1 or 2 traits to work on for the year.

Whatever your 2024 goals are- this list is sure to help. As Hill states in the book,

The oldest of admonitions is “Man know thyself!” If you market merchandise successfully, you must know the merchandise.

If you’re selling a product- you need to know the pros and cons of that product to sell it. In anything we do — we’re selling OURSELVES. Only when we take the time to identify our weaknesses, can we work to overcome or eliminate them. Additionally, only when we take the time to identify our strengths, can we highlight them.

I’d love to know your thoughts on this list and if this helped you! If you feel inclined, let me know which traits you identified as traits you do well and traits you’d like to work more on.