Keeping Your New Years Resolutions: It’s Possible!

New Year’s Resolutions.

There’s really no way to put a new spin on the idea of keeping those little promises we make to ourselves right before the ball drops every January 1st. The idea of starting a new year with a clean slate is always tantalizing, but how many of us actually end up doing what we toast to doing at midnight?

Instead of dolling out general, Oprah-fied advice about keeping you resolutions, I’m gonna tell you what worked for me. Obviously, I don’t represent the majority of the population, but if someone with the willpower of -3 (read: cannot eat just one cookie or stop at first base) can keep herself on the right track with these examples, maybe you can too.

*Be Reasonable: Guaranteeing yourself that you’ll lose 50 pounds in three months or give up smoking cold turkey can be difficult promises to keep, and nothing fades away faster than a lofty promise. I say, make a timetable and take baby steps. I’ll start exercising more and go easy on the sugar, and, I will find a program or support to help me wean down my nicotine intake, are two very doable sentences. Start small, succeed, and go bigger. That’s the key.

*Keep a Journal: Writing down your daily progress towards your resolutions is a great way to keep yourself focused on your the original goal. An online blog, or even an old fashioned diary, are two techniques that will help you see the daily evolution from idea to actuality.

*Tell People: The idea of positive thinking is fantastic, but in my world, the more people I tell about a certain idea, the stupider I’ll feel if that idea never comes to fruition. Telling the most annoying person you know about your resolution is a surefire way to hear about it every hour on the hour. You won’t be able to ignore those promises to yourself when Johnny Asshole keeps sticking his head into your room and asking about your progress.

*Find a Partner: This is especially helpful in the weight loss or “quitting something” category of resolutions. Having someone by your side to help you ignore that second brownie, or pull you away from those expensive shoes, provides just the right amount of encouragement when the going gets tough.

*Believe In It: It may sound cheesy, but truly believing that this is the year for changing something you’ve always wanted to change can be a very powerful thing. We can pretty much do anything as long as we put our minds to it and use every ounce of determination we have. How else would I have given up my love affair with store-bought cake?

To start things off right, cast your resolutions to the infinity of the internet and tell us what your goals are for 2008!