Do you make New Year’s Resolutions only to break them by the end of January?  If you want to accomplish something bad enough to call it a “resolution” or a goal – it’s time to follow through and make it happen.  Here are some tips for making this the year you actually keep your New Year’s Resolutions:

Start With Meaningful Resolutions

In order to stick with something for the long haul, you have to really want or need it.  Don’t make a resolution you think other people want you to make – it has to be meaningful to you, personally.

Pick Two or Three Specific Goals

Some people make the mistake of creating a long list of things they hope to accomplish in the New Year.  You can’t focus your efforts and make progress toward your goals if you are spreading yourself too thin.  Pick two or three goals that are really important to you, and make them your priority.  Your goals need to be specific – instead of saying you will “get healthy”, designate how many days you will exercise and what foods you will eat to reach the goal of being healthy. So I guess your first resolution should be to be more specific about your goals.

Make a Plan of Action

The reason most people fail to keep their resolutions is because they don’t do anything beyond the initial declaration.  You need a plan of action or you plan to fail!  The other reason people commonly give up on their resolutions is because they make their goals too big.  If your goal is to lose 50 pounds, break it into smaller goals that are easier to obtain – lose 10 pounds by February, another 10 pounds by the start of April, and so on.  If you need some help sticking to it – give yourself a small reward every time you reach one of your smaller goals along the way.

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