Every year it's the same thing: you make resolutions, and you break resolutions. And to be completely honest, the reason is because resolutions are just empty promises, small talk you make the first weak of January, and things you lowkey want to do, but never will.

What you have to do to succeed is turn those resolutions into tangible goals you can be held accountable for. It is not enough to say that in 2018 you want to work out more. You have to make a plan. Invest in a gym membership so you're financially tied down, set a weight loss goal, set a lifting goal, set a yoga goal. Set a goal that will serve as proof of your hard work, something you absolutely need to achieve and need to work towards. When you say "workout more" that can easily mean to go to the gym three times all year, considering you only worked out twice last year. You technically worked out more, you "kept your resolution" and you're somewhat content but also disappointed in yourself for not doing enough.

You have to think of the bigger picture, who do you want to be on December 31, 2018? Who do you want to be surrounded by? What do you want to be doing? What experiences would you like to look back on? None of this will be possible without setting goals and being disciplined.

For instance, if one of your 2018 resolutions is to travel more, think about how you will do that. Where do you want to go? How much does it cost? How are you going to get there? Travel more can mean transcontinental roadtrip, a week in France, or a day trip to the next door over. That's not important. What is important is knowing at the end of the year that you set a goal for yourself and you achieved it.

If you tell yourself that in 2018 you are going to be more spontaneous, you ironically have to plan your spontaneity. What do you define as spontaneous? What do you want to do? Where do you draw the line? Do you want to skydive? Find out where you can do that, how much it costs, and what you need to know to do so. Set a goal for yourself and do whatever necessary to achieve it.

Say that in 2018 you want to save more money, give yourself a goal. It can be numeric, "I want to have $750 in my savings account." It can be something like, "I want to double what I have in my savings now" or it can be something like, "I want to save enough money to buy myself a car." And so you work the whole year to reach that goal. You save 10% of every paycheck or collect every $5 bill you come across. Regardless, you are actively taking a role in achieving whatever goal it is that you set out for yourself

One of my personal goals for the year is to become more cultured. I realized that a way to do this is by diving into literature and the arts. I have made it a goal of mine to read one new book a month, to watch a new movie, preferably a documentary or classic a week, to actually check out New Music Friday on Spotify and to go somewhere new in town or around the state once a month. By setting these goals and activities I can check of my to-do list and actually achieve, I can see my progress at the end of the year and know that I achieved my goal.

When you make resolutions, you keep the door open for whatever comes your way and you give yourself the chance to settle for slightly better than last year. When you set goals, you're personally attached, you're committed and you're more successful.