As the cliché goes, most people will choose going to the gym as one of their top New Year resolutions. And like clockwork, the gyms will be packed... until about mid-February. By then it is standard that everyone has forgotten their resolutions and are back into their old habits. However, I encourage you to do your best to keep your resolutions and actually make 2018 a better year for yourself and those around you.

Any time of the year is a good time to make a real change in your life. And just because we decided on an arbitrary point in the earth's rotation around the sun as the start of a new year, doesn't mean you should make a change in your life. But if you're going to change, it's a good time for it, and you'll have other people to join you in your resolutions.

One of the best solutions I found for sticking with my New Years resolutions was writing them down. It makes them feel real. I found it important to get my goals out of my head and onto something physical. I also couldn't change them once they were written down and forced myself to stick to them. This method of simply writing them down kept them in my memory as well. They were in the back of my mind throughout my year which kept me focused on them. I did not keep them on a sticky note on my mirror that I look at every day, though. I find that method loses the meaning of what is written quickly. I would recommend writing them in a journal, or on a piece of paper and keeping that paper out of sight.

With these couple of strategies, I was able to check off all of my resolutions and had a pretty good personal 2017, although it was quite a roller coaster year.

But it was more than just remembering resolutions in order for me to have a year full of production and personal growth. Putting yourself in the right environment is essential to bettering yourself. It is one of the keys to success. As well as making conscious choices and thinking of what the repercussions might be. This way of thinking can lead to a snowball effect of positivity and wellness. So, while it's a great time to take a look at ourselves and decide what we want to improve on, remember to make changes in as many aspects of life as possible. From accomplishing physical goals to inner growth.