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Key Strategies for Successful New Year’s Resolutions
It has been reported that 24% of people fail to keep their resolutions every year. Here are some strategies that can help you define a successful resolution and stay out of that statistic once and for all.

Be honest with yourself.  Take time to listen to your heart to understand what you really want to accomplish.  It needs to come from within you.  If we have a clear vision of what we want, that often makes it easier to achieve it.

Be realistic.  While resolutions are designed to challenge oneself on a journey toward improvement, a successful resolution will be one that is within reach.
 
Write it down. People who put their goals on paper are significantly more likely to achieve them than are those who merely make mental vows.

Be specific.  Write down your goal in very detailed terms.  Instead of “I want to exercise more,” try to map out exactly what you would like to do.  “I plan to go to the gym four times a week and exercise for an hour each time” is better because it sets out an intention and plan of action. 

Set short-term goals. Try breaking down a larger goal into shorter periods of time.  Create milestones along the way to a larger goal, and you will have a greater sense of accomplishment to motivate you even further.
 
Set up reminders. Post your goal in places where you will see it often.  Use your calendar app on your phone to set reminders to stay on track.  Consider keeping a journal with your goals for 2017 and reviewing them weekly.
 
Reward yourself. Do something good for yourself to reward every milestone you hit.  A personal incentive program can improve your progress.
 
Engage with supportive people. Enlist the support of friends or colleagues, share your plans with them, get feedback and meet at regular intervals to share your progress. Join a relevant community, or find someone who has already achieved a similar goal who can act as a mentor.  Both can be instrumental as you form new habits.
 
Follow a combination of the tips above. In a study on goal-setting at the Dominican University of California, one group of study participants wrote their goals down, broke them into action steps, and shared them with friends. This group’s success rate was high — 62% had achieved their goals or were halfway there, compared to the 43% who only thought deeply about the goals and rated their difficulty and importance. Of the goal-setters who did all of the above but also sent weekly updates to a friend, 76% were at least halfway to achieving their goals.
 
This article has been sourced and adapted from articles by Shawn Achor and Michelle Gielan, founders of GoodThink.com, and Nancy L. Anderson, a contributor at Forbes magazine.  

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