"The secret to change is to focus all your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new." - Socrates

2017 was, to put it lightly, a year of change. Whether or not stepping into the New Year affects the state of world, it is a good excuse to refocus ourselves as individuals. Starting the new year provides the hope we all need that in this coming year we will become the best versions of ourselve we can be. With focus, hard work, and a little luck, you can make 2018 the year that you finally stick to those resolutions, and absolutely kill it.

1. Honestly reflect back on the year.

A lot of people had some... strong opinions about 2017. Whether you loved it, hated it, or were neutral, reflecting back on your year can help you identify the parts of your life you want to cultivate, and those you want to change. What about 2017 did you love? What did you hate? What will honestly make you happy in the coming year? Answering these questions and jotting them down on your phone or in a journal will help solidify your thoughts and leave any negativity in 2017. Let’s start the year on a high note!

2. Choose a quote to set the tone for your year.

I know, I know, this one sounds kind of hokey. But choosing your quote doesn’t bind you to captioning your newest Instagram photo with it. It’s just a way of setting a tone for your year in a slightly more eloquent way than “I want to do _____.” Write down the quote somewhere that you can easily access it. Every time you hit a roadblock in your year, read it to remind yourself of what you wanted to achieve. It can really help boost your motivation.

3. Set a major goal, and then subdivide it into smaller, achievable monthly goals.

Setting a New Year’s Resolution is essentially a synonym for failure. Most of us stick to our resolution for a couple days, maybe the first month, but eventually it trickles off. The key to setting a goal is to make it attainable. So many times we’ll set these lofty, unachievable goals and then beat ourselves up when we can’t attain them (another year of not looking like a Victoria’s Secret model *sigh*). Ambitious goals are not bad, but if you’re going to set one, break it down into smaller goals that you can easily plan out and measure. If your main goal is to improve your health, ask yourself how. What are the specific points you will reach to know you are doing everything you wanted to? Making a plan you can follow will help you iron out the details as well as figure out exactly why you want to make this change. And understanding that is half the battle.

4. Reward yourself.

As a race, humans are pretty shallow. If we are going to work hard, most of the time we want to see some sort of a reward. Before you even start working on achieving your resolution, set up a reward system for yourself. If I do this, then I get this. It’s a great way of keeping yourself in check when you start to veer off from forming the habits you decided to set. Plus, who doesn’t love an excuse to treat yo self?