Starting the Year with New Year's Resolutions

Despite all the stress (and bills!) that the holidays bring, December really is the season for kicking back and enjoying yourself. And to top it all off, you have the excitement and chaos of New Year's Eve.

It's hard not to start making resolutions and creating goals on New Year's Eve. There's that sense of renewal, of rebirth, and the guilty awareness that you ate your own weight in chocolate during the holidays. Sure, last year's resolution didn't make it past the fifth of January, but hey, this year's going to be different, right?

Sticking to Your Resolutions
Sticking to resolutions are hard. Resolutions are often changes that you would like to see yourself make, but changes are very difficult to enforce—and it only gets harder the older you get. But that doesn't mean change is impossible. Here are some things you can do to stick to your resolution:

Don't try everything at once. The temptation of the New Year is to run off a list of everything you've ever wanted to change. Don't fall for it! You'll have better luck fulfilling one or two goals than you will a list of fifty. You can always add new resolutions to your list later. Take one thing at a time.

Word your resolution carefully. Let's say your resolution is to relax more in the coming year. Word this carefully. Try not to think of it as "This year I am going to relax." That's a stress-inducer waiting to happen. It forces you into thinking of the resolution as something you must do, not something you want to do. Try to make it sound a little gentler: "This year I'm going to explore different ways of relaxing." It also suggests more of a resolution plan—you'll be keeping the resolution by experimenting with relaxation techniques. The first resolution sounds as if you're going to force yourself to relax by sheer willpower.

Make a plan. Once you know what your New Year's resolution is, try to break it down. Nobody accomplishes anything of significance by trying to do it all at once. This doesn't have to be a complicated resolution plan; just brainstorm enough to give you a place to start.

Write your plan down. Stick it up on the fridge, in your locker or wherever you know you'll see it. That way you'll have a constant reminder, which helps in keeping resolutions. You may want to change the wording as time passes and your goal changes.

Get help. You don't have to be the only one to enforce your resolutions. You may want to ask a friend or family member to help you through this "trying" period. You might even be able to help your friend stick to his or her resolution. It's always easier in groups than it is alone.