It is this time of the year, once again, to think about our resolutions for the year. Losing weight, saving money, paying off debts, getting fit, finding a better job and adopting a healthy lifestyle are among the most popular New Year’s resolutions. How successful are we though at keeping our resolutions and achieving our goals? Some resolution-makers last a week keeping their resolutions, and some stick it out all the way to Feb. 1, but very few manage to achieve their long-term goal.

Here are some tips to help keep your New Year’s resolutions.

Be specific. The first and most important step to keeping New Year’s resolutions is to understand your goals and focus on what you really want and how best to achieve it. Wanting to feel good can mean many different things. Decide what is most important, perhaps feeling more fit, losing weight, or managing stress better.

Aim for things that are truly important to you, not what you think you ought to do or what others expect of you.

Be realistic. Don’t try to do it all at once. Decide on what you want to focus on first and set short, mid, and long term goals. For example, losing 2 to 4 pounds a month will be easier to achieve than 10 pounds in one month.

Make a clear plan. Instead of saying, I’ll start going to the gym, make a specific plan, like “I’m going to wake up at 6:00am on Monday, put my shoes on, and go to the gym”. Break down large goals into smaller ones.

Share your resolutions with others. When others know of our goals, it can help us feel more accountable and help us stick to a plan.

As the Rolling Stones put it, “you can’t always get what you want, but if you try sometime, you just might find you get what you need.”

Rachel Lefebvre, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist specializing in stress management and mind/body medicine. She completed training at Massachusetts General Hospital / Harvard Medical School and at the Domar Center for Complementary Medicine in Boston. For more information call 321-536-1724 or visit www.girlfriendshealth.com

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