After the excesses of the holiday season, it can be tempting to make really ambitious New Year’s Resolutions. Finally, you decide, THIS will be the year you run a marathon, cut sugar, salt and caffeine from your diet, and become a mindfulness pro.

Of course, things often look different by the end of the year – if not by the end of January.

So what are the secrets to making New Year’s resolutions that stick?
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Be realistic

Don’t choose to overhaul your entire life – pick one or two things you’d like to change and start there. And rather than aiming for an unattainable goal, choose something that makes sense for you – if you’re a dedicated couch potato, starting your running career with a 5K might make more sense than a marathon, and if you can’t live without that daily double-double, try swapping tea for coffee rather than going cold-turkey on the caffeine. Small changes are often easier to maintain over the long term – probably because if you slip up, it’s not such a big deal to get back on track.

Look for roadblocks

Identifying things that might stand in the way of you reaching your goals – and planning how you’ll work around them – can help you stay on track. Think about the change you want to make and how it will fit into your life. For example, if you want to start getting more exercise and resolve to walk to work every day, consider how you’ll cope on days when it’s raining or cold. Investing in rain gear or a good jacket might be the thing that helps you stick with your plan.

Make it manageable

Once you’ve chosen a realistic goal and identified potential roadblocks, it’s time to make a plan. Get out a pen and paper and break down the tasks involved in reaching your goal. For example, if you’d like to eat better in 2017, those tasks might include: buying a new cookbook with healthy recipes, trying one new recipe per week, adding a new fruit or vegetable to your cooking repertoire each month, or signing up for a cooking class each season.

Give each task a deadline, to encourage yourself to work steadily toward your goal. That way you won’t be scrambling to achieve your goal when next December rolls around.

Plan a reward

The satisfaction of actually keeping your resolution will be great, but getting to enjoy a tangible reward – like a new pair of jeans, a spa day or that vacation you’ve been saving for – will feel even better.

Write it down

Writing down your goals can help solidify your commitment to achieving them. Use our motivational quote and goal tracker to help you stay on track with your resolutions, and prepare to amaze yourself in 2017.
Download our motivational quote and goal-setting tool!