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Jan. 1 is always a big deal. It’s a celebration of the new and of being grateful for, thankful for or washing out the old. It’s a day of football, a day of hangover recovery, a day of New Year’s resolutions and a day of your strongest intentions to do more, do less and do better.

And then there is Jan. 2. It’s not as significant as Jan. 1 or Feb. 1. Or is it?

There are several major (predictable) days of emotion, celebration and reflection in each year. And there are some special days that pop up like the birth of a child, a monumental sale or a surprise visit from an old friend or relative (whom you were happy to see).

Your birthday is the easiest one to identify, with the birthdays and anniversaries of significant other people close behind. Birthday celebrations and remembrances are both for the living and the dead. They are especially emotional if a parent, sibling or close friend has passed on.

Emotional holidays both real and contrived like Halloween, St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo, the Fourth of July, and of course the big two, Christmas and New Year’s. There are other holidays that may affect you personally, not so much to celebrate but to remember, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Veterans Day, even Flag Day.

The reason I’m challenging you to think about these days is that they tend to be emotional and inspirational in one way or another.

And my thought this morning was: Why aren’t all days like that?

Think about the celebration, the emotion, the determination, the resolve and the intention that you have on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. If you could replicate that 364 times this year, you could conquer the world (or at least your customers and prospects).

My New Year’s challenge to you is to better understand where your emotional drivers come from, document them, define them, harness their power and repeat them each day as you get ready to conquer your world.

On the day my mother died, I clearly remember saying to my brother, “Regardless of what happens tomorrow, our world will never be the same.” And on that day, I resolved to do more, risk more and act quicker. Fifteen years later when my father died, I doubled my resolve, and have maintained that resolve ever since.

What days or holidays create resolve for you? It may be New Year’s Day, a day of life or a day of death. What emotional spirit can you identify, capture and harness in order to make a quantum leap and land safely, either in a pile of money, a warm pool of success or on an island lying back on the beach of fulfillment.

Make your list (check it twice). Take about an hour to think of the most emotional days of your year and what thoughts, expressions and actions you take as a result of that day. Some of those emotions are so powerful it may cause you to take more than an hour, and may even cause you to cry.

Document and memorialize these emotional moments and days in a way that you can call up their power every day. Maybe it’s a picture of your mom or dad on your desk as a reminder, maybe it’s a short list that you put on your calendar every day, maybe it’s Post-it notes on your bathroom mirror, maybe it’s establishing a mastermind group that meets weekly for breakfast, or maybe it’s just alone time for you to write and clarify your thoughts, your intentions and your proposed deeds.

Then take action with the same determination you had on New Year’s Day or your mom’s birthday.

Whatever you decide to do, I challenge you to do it soon. Feb. 1 is coming, and you may not realize it’s as big a day to celebrate and take action as Jan. 1.

Jeffrey Gitomer can be reached by phone at (704) 333-1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com. © 2010 Jeffrey H. Gitomer