“New year, new me.” We’ve heard it all before and some of us are even guilty of saying it. Each year, time and time again, everyone looks forward to the new year for a fresh start. Whether it be getting your health on by eating cleaner and going to the gym more often, taking up a new hobby, or vowing that you’ll no longer procrastinate when the new semester comes around, every resolution is easier said than done. But it’s still possible! It just takes some hard work and dedication to achieve a BETTER YOU. Here’s an easy step by step guide on how I achieved my 2017 New Year’s resolutions.

Write it down.

When it comes to resolutions, accountability is key. Writing down your goals on a piece of paper helps makes your goals visible every day. Make sure you make your goals detailed and precise so that you know just exactly what you’re trying to achieve. I avoided writing my goals on my phone because, knowing my sneaky self, I would try to edit or even delete my resolutions if I was feeling discouraged.

Make it a process.

It’s easy to say that you want to get fit or that you want to spend money wisely. However, I realized that the only way I was going to achieve my main resolutions was if I specifically thought out steps to make it actually happen. For example, one of my resolutions was to get more into fitness. To do so, I read up on muscle movement online and asked my brother-in-law to teach me how to properly weightlift with correct form. Resolutions are always about taking steps to goals. So plan out each step to ensure that you’re successful.

Read it.

One thing that helped me remember what my goals were was to read the piece of paper every week. I usually read it on a Sunday night or a Monday morning so that I could start off the week with my resolutions in mind. When I’d plan out my upcoming week, I’d make sure that I included activities that dealt with my resolutions. For example, I planned out when I was going to the gym or when I would take a yoga class. (Aside from getting into fitness, my other goal was to be more present and practice mindfulness).

Stay positive.

It’s going to be hard to get started. There will be people who hate on you for waiting for the new year to change and there will be people who say that you won’t even change at all. School, work, and other responsibilities will stress you out and take away your attention. You may feel like you’re not making any progress, but you are. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your success won’t happen overnight. Stay positive and go in to every day with a bright attitude that you can do anything you set your mind to.

Remember why you’re doing this.

Lastly, it’s incredibly important to remember why you’re doing this. You are using agency to change your life because you knew that a change had to be made. You owe it to yourself to work to your true potential. You owe it to yourself to be happy and be the person you want to be. Remember why you wanted to change and remember how proud of yourself you’ll be when you actually turn your dreams into a reality. You got this!