The New Year is often a time for a fresh start. We reflect on our past habits, and resolve to do better — eat healthier, work harder, or work less, and spend more time on the things that really matter. We set goals and create new visions for our best possible lives. Usually, though, come February, most of us are back to our old habits and routines. But some people actually manage to succeed at making their visions a reality. How are they doing it? What have they learned? And what can we learn from them?

Also heard on this week’s episode:

• We hear from scientists about what they plan to do differently in 2020.
• We talk to author Scott Fedor about his experience persevering through a devastating accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. His new book is called “Head Strong: How a Broken Neck Strengthened My Spirit.”
• David Fajgenbaum was in medical school when he was diagnosed with Castleman’s disease — a rare and deadly illness with no known cure. We hear about Fajgenbaum’s extraordinary fight to not only survive, but find a possible cure. You can read more about David Fajgenbaum’s journey in his book: “Chasing My Cure: A Doctor’s Race to Turn Hope Into Action.”
• As an inmate at California’s Solano State Prison, Gordon Melvin’s life revolved around drinking, dope, and violence — until a yoga program on PBS transformed his body, mind, and life. This story is from the KALW series “Uncuffed,” produced by people inside Solano and San Quentin State Prison.