With the new year upon us, it’s time to reflect on the year that’s passed and begin thinking about the year ahead. Whether or not you have taken the time to think about your goals and aspirations for the next 12 months, a new chapter is here. So it’s important to ask yourself, what do you want to accomplish in 2017? What are you satisfied with in your life, and what changes would you like to make?This is the time of year where everyone makes resolutions, myself included. What I like most about making a resolution is that they are a great opportunity to take back control of your life and begin creating a life that you want, rather than one where you’re just going along for the ride.  When you create a resolution you immediately become empowered to get out and go after what you really want.

What I don’t like about resolutions, is that while many of us make a resolution or set a goal, most never actually follow thru. People start out strong- for a few days weeks, and maybe a few months, but then eventually they stop; in fact 80% of resolutions fail.  We need to remember that New Year’s resolutions alone don’t hold any power. They don’t just magically happen. It ultimately comes down to you making the right choices to start living your dreams rather than wishing for a change.  When you decide to move forward and begin to make changes, that’s when results will occur and change happens.

So in order to set yourself up for success rather than failure, here are a few things that may help you create resolutions that are founded upon what you want and why you want it.

Tips for forming a New Year’s resolution:

• Have an honest dialogue with yourself about what you want versus what you don’t want.
• Ask yourself why you want and don’t want these things.
• Create SMART goals (I wrote these all the time when I worked in schools and they work!) Goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely will help you maintain your resolutions. For example, don’t randomly say that you will lose 20 pounds this year. Get very clear on the why, the how, and the way that you will track weight loss. Be as specific as possible!
• Develop an accountability system or structure that will help you stay on track to attain your goals long after your feelings of excitement, motivation, and enthusiasm have subsided.
• Maybe buddy up with a friend who has similar goals and work through them together or find someone you can talk to about your goals and who can help when you face any challenges.

Imagine all the possibilities you would create in your life if you simply chose today to make positive changes instead of choosing to continue waiting and wishing.

Happy New Year! May you create successful resolutions!