In my favorite comic strip, “Peanuts,” by Charles Schulz, Lucy asks Charlie Brown what day of the week he likes best. For the next few frames, we see Charlie thinking and thinking. Finally, he says, “You know, I've always been kind of fond of tomorrow.”

For once, I have to disagree with good old Charlie Brown. My favorite day is today, because every morning when I wake up, today is what I have to work with.

With the New Year upon us, I have a challenge for you. Stop worrying about that which you cannot control.

Many years ago, this advice came from Robert Jones Burdette, an American humorist and clergyman: “There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept from fear and apprehension.” Can you guess which two days he's referring to?

Various versions by numerous authors expanded on Burdette's answer:

"One of these days is yesterday with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control. All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot erase a single word we said. Yesterday is gone.

"The other day we should not worry about is tomorrow with its possible adversities, its burdens, its large promise and poor performance. Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow's sun will rise. Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn."

And then we get to the meat of the argument:

"This leaves only one day -- today. Any person can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities -- yesterday and tomorrow -- that we break down. It is not the experience of today that drives people mad -- it is remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread of what will happen tomorrow."

Let that sink in for a minute. Today is the only day we can take action and have an impact. Sure, we learn from yesterday. And of course, we plan for tomorrow.

But unless we approach each day with a renewed positive outlook, we are wasting enormous potential. And that is what I challenge you to exploit to the max.

Use every tool in your kit to build on the traits you need to think and act positively each day. These include reliability, communication and listening skills, cooperation, loyalty and humor, among other qualities. If you are concerned that you are weak in any of these areas, resolve to improve. Make a New Year’s promise to yourself to not waste another minute on negative thinking. Make every today better than yesterday.

I had the honor of knowing Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, who endorsed my first book, “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.” Dr. Peale happened to have a best-seller of his own which you have probably heard of: “The Power of Positive Thinking.” That book, which he wrote in 1952, has sold more than five million copies. I recommend it as an essential volume on every businessperson’s bookshelf.

Among the gems you’ll find in “Positive Thinking” are thoughts such as these:

-- “You do not need to be a victim of worry. Reduced to its simplest form, what is worry? It is simply an unhealthy and destructive mental habit.”

-- “The way to happiness: Keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine. Forget self, think of others. Do as you would be done by. Try this for a week and you will be surprised.”

-- “When you expect the best, you release a magnetic force in your mind which by a law of attraction tends to bring the best to you.”

-- “BELIEVE IN YOURSELF! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy. But with sound self-confidence you can succeed. A sense of inferiority and inadequacy interferes with the attainment of your hopes, but self-confidence leads to self-realization and successful achievement.”

Dr. Peale’s writings will inspire you to look at life through a more positive lens. Take a little time in the new year to read -- or reread -- this valuable resource. Trust me, I dust off my well-worn copy whenever I start to worry about yesterday and tomorrow instead of celebrating the opportunities I have today.

Mackay’s Moral: Have a positively Happy New Year!

William Marston, a prominent psychologist, authored a two-year study where he asked 3,000 individuals the following: “What have you to live for?”

What Dr. Marston found was absolutely shocking. He discovered that 94 percent of those interviewed had no definite purpose. These were men and women who were simply enduring the present while they waited for the future.

That story was shared by Dennis Kimbro and Napoleon Hill in the classic “Think and Grow Rich: A Black Choice.” Anyone who needs a refresher in setting goals would be wise to review that masterpiece.

I strongly believe that we need to set goals. A goal is a dream with a deadline. It should be measurable, identifiable, attainable, specific, in writing. I always advise not to forget to write your long-term and short-term goals down.

Self-help gurus and life coaches all stress the importance of having goals if you want to succeed in life. The first step is identifying what is a worthwhile goal.

A goal should reflect your values, of course -- what you really want, not what you should want, and certainly not what other people think you should achieve.

Career and financial goals are perhaps the most obvious targets. What kind of job or role do you aspire to? How much money do you want to make? Or what would you like to buy that’s currently beyond your means?

But you don’t have to zero in on work.

Perhaps you have an artistic dream -- to write a novel or learn to play the piano. Or maybe you want to work on some aspect of your personality: become more assertive or empathetic, or less cynical. Education is another potential objective, whether it’s about getting an advanced degree or just taking a class in design.

Big goals require big passion to meet. Success usually requires a road map, a strategy, but it also calls for an overwhelming drive. Ask yourself these questions: Do you feel strongly about the importance of your goal and why it is necessary to achieve? Does your goal match your values and beliefs? Is your goal vital to the future of people you care about? Does your goal get you excited when you think about it? Are you willing to devote your personal time to achieve your goal? Will you be able to reject criticism and negativity? Are you committed to the long term as you work toward your goal?

Here’s my formula for setting goals that helps me focus on the result I want to achieve.

-- Make it positive. Think about your objective in affirmative terms: What you will do ("Eat balanced meals every day"), instead of what you won’t do (“Stop eating chocolate”). Remind yourself of what you want, not what you’re denying yourself.

-- Be fully committed. Choosing the right goals will make a huge difference in your motivation to succeed.

-- Take a step-by-step approach. You have to start with the big picture. Then you should determine what you need to do to get there. Break your plan down to the smallest level of detail; think of what you can do every day to get a little closer to your target. Focus on things you can control.

-- Appreciate the learning opportunities. You may not succeed the first time, or the second time or after many times. Instead of obsessing over the results, figure out what works and what doesn’t, and why.

-- Take your goals seriously, but don’t take yourself too seriously. If you aren’t having some fun along the way, your chances for success diminish. You should be able to derive some real pleasure out of achieving your goals.

-- Trust your judgment, but don’t be afraid to ask for advice. There is no rule against asking for help.

-- Set your sights high. Be realistic, but ambitious. There’s no glory in accomplishing a goal that doesn’t require any effort. That’s just an item on your to-do list. Your goal should make you stretch and grow. Remember that even if you don’t reach your objective, what you learn along the way will make you a better person.

As my friend the late Zig Ziglar said, “Set a goal so big that you can’t achieve it until you grow into the person who can.”

Mackay’s Moral: Don’t be afraid to dream big -- be afraid not to.

The neighborhood kids had congregated in the front yard when a fire truck zoomed past. Sitting on the front seat was a Dalmatian dog. The children started discussing the dog’s duties.

“They use him to keep the crowds back when they go to a fire,” said a 5-year-old girl.

“No,” said another, “they carry him for good luck.”

The third, a boy about 6, brought the argument to an abrupt end when he said, “They use the dog to find the fire hydrant.”

Everyone has a purpose in life.

Finding that purpose is among life’s biggest challenges. Discovering what is important to you, what you are passionate about, where you can make a difference -- those are the factors that drive your purpose.

No matter how much money you make or how famous you become, living without a purpose takes the joy out of life. When the most important part of your existence is missing, the quest for material success becomes hollow.

My friend Brandon Steiner, who runs Steiner Sports, one of the country’s largest sports memorabilia companies, has written a book, “Living on Purpose,” that should be required reading for every young person starting out in a career. Brandon shares remarkable insights into how to win at the game of life when business success isn’t enough.

Brandon had worked hard his entire life and sold his company in 2000 for more money than he had ever dreamed of. But he wasn’t happy. He was emotionally bankrupt. His health deteriorated, as did his friendships. He had lost his purpose in life.

It took a few years, and with the help of some trusting friends, Brandon became a better husband and father, bought his company back and started getting more involved in charity work. He sought to leave a legacy.

In his book, Brandon details some of his journeys, such as learning about faith from New York Yankees great Mariano Rivera, getting tips on how to deal with fear from WNBA star Brittney Sykes, getting his “Jerry Maguire moment” with football star Otis Anderson and helping baseball great Alex Rodriguez, who sought redemption.

Not all of his stories are about sports stars, though. He talks about motivational guru Brendon Burchard teaching him about the qualities of extraordinary people: not being afraid to ask for help, collaborating with other talented, committed people and always measuring results.

John Gray, author of “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus,” told him: “Don’t buy your wife a dozen roses. Buy her one rose a dozen times.” Daily touch points are better than occasional ones.

Brandon’s mother was his role model. She used to ask him, “How do you eat a big elephant?” And then she would answer, “One bite at a time.” That’s why Brandon set up “snackable goals” on the way to the finish line.

Brandon also delves into a topic I care greatly about -- relationships. He asks himself four key questions that help him take inventory of his relationships:

1. Do I trust you?

2. Do I really know you?

3. Do you understand me?

4. Are you what’s best for me?

“You want people in your life who are smart, kind, loyal and reliable,” Brandon writes. Above all, he looks for loyalty in people.

Brandon starts each day with an MVP list -- Most Valuable Priorities. This helps him keep his agenda in check. Just as important, he recommends that you make a “Not-To-Do List," filled with time-wasting or bad habits. This will save you a tremendous amount of time.

Discovering your own purpose starts with two basic questions:

-- What do you do best? Focus on what you do well in your professional life, but don’t ignore what you like to do. This is not an exercise in setting goals or plotting a career path.

-- What do you enjoy doing that helps other people? Getting outside of your own interests can lead to a more fulfilling life.

Combining these two elements is a good start to determining how to start living a life guided by purpose.

Without a purpose, we are like the man arrested for theft appearing before the judge.

Judge: “When do you work?”

Man: “Now and then.”

Judge: “What do you do for a living?”

Man: “This and that.”

Judge: “Where do you live?”

Man: “Here and there.”

Judge: “Young man, you are going to jail.”

Man: “When do I get out?”

Judge: “Sooner or later.”

Mackay’s Moral: The best life is one lived with purpose -- on purpose.