--George Santayana

• Write a precise and gracious resignation letter—Set up time to talk to your supervisor when he or she is not busy, say exactly when you will be leaving, and thank the organization for your professional growth and employment.
• Wrap up your responsibilities before you go—Leave your files in good shape for those who need them after you go, offer to train your replacement, and work until your last day (your employees and future networking contacts will appreciate it).
• Provide only positive feedback at your exit interview—For example, instead of saying, "My boss throws people under the bus and takes credit for everyone else's good work," say instead, "Our staff is so dedicated and hard working that I think they deserve more frequent acknowledgement of their work."
• Protect yourself—For example, before you give your notice, discreetly remove personal items from your office. You should be prepared in case your organization wants you to leave the same day you give notice (more common in the business world).
• Remain in contact with coworkers—Write a thank-you-and-good-bye email or letter for your colleagues, get contact information from them, and stay in touch. Your warmth will be appreciated, and maintaining business contacts over time can pay off during future job searches.

--Jack (Alec Baldwin), trying to woo
Celeste (Edie Falco), on the TV show  30 Rock

• (S)pecific—Know exactly what you want to achieve, including details of how you want to get there. 
• (M)easurable—Articulate your goal as something that can be measured or observed so you know when you've completed the goal.
• (A)ttainable—Make sure that your goal is reasonably within your skill level (if not, break it down into smaller goals that can prepare you for the larger goal).
• (R)elevant—Make sure that you are striving for something that fits who you are, your lifestyle, and your overall direction in life.
• (T)ime-Sensitive—Determine a date by which you'd like to complete the goal. 

--John Andrew Holmes

• Mindfulness—Strengthens your ability to focus on the present moment, to focus on effective action, and to avoid the temptation to lapse into mindless, negative thinking patterns.
• Dialectic thinking—Provides a sophisticated method of dealing with situations that is honest about the difficulty being faced but never loses sight of hopefulness.
• Meaning shifting—Alters underlying beliefs so that they fuel hopeful thoughts and not negative ones.
• Effective goal accomplishment—Builds solid, irrefutable self esteem, as opposed to the weak attempt to layer a positive affirmation on top of low self esteem.