HOW TO MAKE NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS AND KEEP THEM

A new year's resolution is a tradition, a practice in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change an undesired trait, accomplish a goal, or otherwise improve their behaviour at the beginning of the year.

Celebrities like Gwen Stefani, Blake Shelton, Keke Palmer, Ciara, Jessie James Decker and Rihanna shared their New Year’s resolutions targeting fitness, health and even stopping bad habits. I'm sure you reading this, also made new year's resolutions or at least you plan to.

The most important thing is not setting a goal, it's doing what you planned and that's where the hard work is. So, it's most likely that you have probably broken a new year's resolution you set at some point in life. If you already have resolutions, there's a probability that you have already broken some of these plans.

How about you make one resolution right now and that's to stop planning to change things and then failing to follow through.

It's not easy but the bitter truth is you will have a much better year if your resolutions are kept. Here are four pointers to keep you going:

1. Be Realistic: the fastest way to fall short of your goals is to make the goals unattainable. An example is this, Ada resolves never to eat junk food again but she works in a candy factory. Ada’s resolution is not in any way realistic because there's no way she won't taste one candy. Striving to never eat junk food is set up to fail, instead, work towards a more attainable goal like avoiding it more often than you do now. Another is reducing the quantity of junk food you eat per day.
2. Plan Now: Don't wait until the last minute, and don't postpone. Decide now, how you will deal with the temptation to skip the gym or have a piece of cake. This could include having accountability partners, practising affirmations or reminding yourself how “bad behaviour” will affect your goals.
3. Track your Progress: keep track of success in a journal. Short Term goals are easier to keep, and each small win will motivate you. Reward yourself sometimes for these wins.
4. Keep Trying: experts say it takes about 21 days for a new activity to become a habit and six months for it to become part of your personality. This won't happen overnight, so keep trying. If you lose steam by mid-February, don't worry, start over or continue, whatever the case may be. You can try again for 24 hours, to build your confidence and get back on track. 

Resolutions are great. They help you reflect on the past, present and future. You will also find it easy to figure out what has been working and what may need to change to improve your life.