As I complete my yearly trip to visit my family in Florida, I am reminded that every year I make New Year’s Resolutions and every year I break them. In an effort to reverse this bad habit, I am on a personal quest to define what resolutions are, what they should look like and how to actually achieve them.
What is a New Year’s Resolution?
It is a goal to make changes in your life- something that you want to increase, reduce or improve on. I have heard it described as a challenge to enter the new year as a new and improved you.

What should they look like?
The best way to accomplish your goals is to use the proven SMART technique.
1. Specific- What are you going to do? Why is it important to you? How are you going to do it?
2. Measureable- If you can’t measure it, you can’t achieve it?
3. Attainable- break the main goal into smaller steps that you can achieve.
4. Realistic- this does not mean easy, you need to stretch yourself. It does mean do-able.
5. Timely- set a clear target date or dates and work toward them.

How do we achieve them?
1. Focus on one resolution at a time- start with the one most important to you.
2. Tell others your goal so that they can help keep you focused.
3. Put them in writing and post them where you can see them so you review them often and keep them fresh in your mind.
4. Keep a journal- spend just a few minutes each day writing about how you are doing.
5. Visualize yourself achieving it.
6. Work on your goals daily.
7. Reward yourself when you hit your targets / keep yourself motivated.
8. Pick yourself back up when you fall short (it will happen).
9. Have faith in yourself (you can do this)!

The end of one year and the beginning of another is a great time to reflect, remember, review and reconsider what you have done in the past so you can resolve what you are going to do in the future. I feel confident that this information will finally help me to achieve my 2012 New Year’s Resolutions (one at a time of course). I hope you will find it useful and will start you off toward a successful 2012.