2016 came and went. Now, we get to welcome in 2017 which means the obligatory New Year's Resolutions. Of course, this also means that the gyms will be packed on January 1st, then empty within a week. BUT it doesn't have to be like this. While I'm not a doctor, I have had a lot of experience planning events and they are basically the same thing. So strap in for some advice about keeping your New Years Resolution.

It should be what you want

If you want to lose weight, fine. If you want to write more, fine. If you want to travel more, fine. But if you are doing this because of somebody in your life telling you to change (other than your doctor or other qualified personnel) GET RID OF THEM. They are poison to you. I know that it may not be easy. Maybe it's your loved ones who you feel are forcing you to change. If that's the case, it's time for a serious talk.

Be S.M.A.R.T.

I've been involved with many aspects of leadership, and in almost every case we teach S.M.A.R.T goals. What are they you ask?

S- Specific. Saying your resolution is to lose weight is fine at a party. But if you're really serious you will throw some numbers in there. For example, you can say "I want to lose 20 pounds by the Summer". THere's two important aspects. First is the quantity. Not only does it help you keep track of where you are, but it also gives you a goal to hit. Hitting a pre-determined number is a lot more satisfying. Second is the deadline. Personal resolutions are flexible, but if you can set a deadline that contributes to that goal even more.

M - Measurable. I sorta already went over this. Put numbers in your resolution. Aim to read 20 pages a day. Aim to save x amount of dollars by September. Put a number in there and your goal seems much better.

A - Attainable. Nobody becomes an astronaut overnight. Nor does somebody lose 100 pounds in one week. You know yourself better than anybody. Set your goal to just above what you know what you can do. Challenge yourself, but don't make it impossible.

R - Reasonable. Again, make your goal something that is challenging but not impossible. You want to feel good about it, not bad.

T - Timely. While 100 pounds in one week is crazy, so is one pound every 5 years. Give yourself a challenge and be timely about it.

Plan it out

With every goal you need steps. I always refer to the question of "How do you eat an elephant?". It's actually very simple. The elephant is your goal. To eat it would mean a success. But an elephant is huge and the task seems daunting. So how do you eat it? One bite at a time. Goals require a plan, which requires steps. They require planning and research and a lot of stuff that will seem like it does nothing. But if you plan it right, it will be excellent. Plan each bite of your elephant correctly and in a good serving size and in no time there will be an empty plate.

Use an App

There is an app for just about everything out there. Use one to set an alarm, play music, or count calories. Doesn;t matter what it is, there is almost definitely an app for that.

Don't be discouraged.

Other people are scary. There's tough guys in the gym, published writers with years of experience and speed-readers. But that's OK. You are you and the point of a resolution is to improve yourself. And of course, there are others that are better than you. THere's always somebody better than yu at something, but you are better at somebody else for a different thing. What you are doing is working on you. Don't let people bully or intimidate you. If you're not comfortable going to the gym, workout at home. Read at home instead of the library. Just please don't be intimidated by others.

It's OK to keep resolutions private

You are not a museum display or an art exhibit. If you don't want to tell somebody (or anybody) your resolution, don't. We all have things we want to change and sometimes those things are deeply personal. Worst comes to worst, make up a fake one.

Motivate yourself

Two parts of this. First, ask yourself why you are doing this. Everything has a reason and it's necessary ti know why you really want it to accomplish it. Second, throw in a reward at the end. Maybe you set aside a dollar for every pound you lose. Maybe for every book you read you get a chocolate bar. Whatever it is, make it enticing.

No matter what your resolution may be, I know that you can do it. Plan it out, be SMART, and get motivated. 2017 can be a great year. It's up to you to make it great.