7 tips for sticking to your New Year’s resolutions

Most failed resolutions fall through before January even ends, so if you don’t want your goals to be among the unfulfilled, keep at your new habit for at least six weeks. Working for over a month and half, you’re more likely to form a habit that sticks.

It’s hard to succeed when you don’t know what you’re succeeding at. Creating measurable goals will help you keep yourself accountable and give you a feeling of satisfaction as you get closer to your goal, which will in turn keep you going.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Yadda yadda yadda. There are a million ways to say it, but the message is clear, if you want to have huge success, start with small success. Place small steps and minor wins between major hurdles to help you build momentum toward an overall goal.

New Year’s Day isn’t the time to get abstract. Broad, general resolutions have no clear beginning or end. It’s impossible to say you ever truly failed, giving you an easy excuse to quit.

You may feel like keeping your resolution a secret in case you fail, but telling others about your goals will not only help keep you accountable, it will also help you form a team who can help you work toward your resolution. Stick to close friends or family members for your support system though. Posting about your goals on Facebook is a quick way to talk a big game and come up short.

It’s hard to replace any habit with nothing. Whether you’re trying to cut out unhealthy foods or stop biting your nails, denying yourself will cut right into your willpower. Instead, offer yourself a treat for avoiding a bad habit, even if it has nothing to do with the act your trying to nix.

Even if you have a long way to accomplish your eventual end goal, celebrate success along the way to keep your spirits up and remind yourself why you resolved in the first place.