The 四字熟語 can often encompass an entire outlook, mindset, philosophy.  Looking back on the previous year, I see much room for improvement.  These, then, are what I would like to define 2012:

一刻千金（いっこくせんきん）

A single moment is worth a thousand gold. Time is precious. Waste is unthinkable.

日進月歩（にっしんげっぽ）

Moving forward day by day, month by month. Whether you’re tending a garden or a mind, neglect will undo months and years of work. Progress need not be quick, but it must be continuous, as inevitable as a natural force.

切磋琢磨（せっさたくま）

Cultivating the character by diligent study and application. It is no accident that the last three characters of this expression all mean, more or less, “to polish”. The cut and a single polish can give you an adequate, functional, marketable product. But for the mind and character, that can never be accepted as a sufficient standard.