‘Tis the season for change. New Year’s resolutions are fun to set, but after the first week of working toward your goals, it’s easy to fall off the bandwagon and revert to old habits.

Make this the year you set and keep your New Year’s resolutions by utilizing the following tips.

1. Focus on the positives

Aiming to eat healthier, sleep more and exercise more often are common New Year’s resolutions. While these goals are attainable – and great to set – old habits are hard to break. Focusing on the positive aspects of your resolutions, such as how you’ll feel after upping your fruit and veggie intake, makes them easier to keep. That way, you’ll focus on what you gain and not what you lose by making the changes needed to meet your goals.

2. Think SMART

Setting SMART goals is the smart thing to do when it comes to making resolutions. SMART is an acronym and goal setting process used by many to create and reach attainable goals. The acronym stands for:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Relevant
  • Time-bound

Keep your New Year’s resolutions relevant by setting a specific, measurable goal and working to achieve it in a set time frame.

3. Know you can’t change the past

You can’t change the past, but you can let it go and focus on making this a great year. If last year’s resolutions were a bust, don’t worry about it. Get back on the resolution bandwagon, try a new approach and see how far you can go this year.

4. Think about your why

Why are you choosing to set a specific New Year’s resolution? Who or what are you setting the resolution for? Considering the reasoning behind your resolution can make it easier to meet your goal since you’ll know exactly what motivates you to keep working toward the desired result.

5. Remember to be kind to yourself

Be kind to yourself when setting New Year’s resolutions. Everyone has things they’d like to change about themselves, but change doesn’t happen overnight and isn’t always necessary. Focus on the positive aspects of what makes you who you are, set a few SMART resolutions, let go of the past and remember why you’re working toward your goals in the first place.

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