We all know those people who chant "new year, new me" repeatedly for two weeks, and on the third week they return to their original routines of the previous years, completely forgetting why they started chanting their resolutions in the first place. Personally, I've yet to chant this unforgettable phrase, but I am going to have resolutions around this theme.

It's 2017. And, as horrible as 2016 was for some people (or the whole nation/world), we can't subject ourselves to the negativity surrounding the problems that will be following us into the new year. It's better to allow those problems to take their seat in your life so you can better figure out how to sort through them.

What I think you should know is that the reason people don't stick with their new years resolutions, whatever they may be, is because they set too large of a goal to be completed in an impossible amount of time.

For example, let's say you want to lose 20 pounds in two weeks. I don't want to be negative, but that's very unlikely unless you cut off a leg. What ends up happening is that people don't see any results immediately so they quit and when they realize that they should have followed through with their plan, it's already November.

In order to make this transition into the new year, you must first accept all that was in the past year and make peace with it. Otherwise, you'll be carrying the weight of it on your shoulders and you won't be able to move on. Once you acknowledge what was, you can decide what needs fixing. Setting proper goals for yourself will help you stay motivated and inspired to not quit working on yourself, whether it's with losing weight, becoming more centered and at peace with yourself, or starting a new activity.

I recommend taking that long-term end goal and breaking it up into smaller goals that you can achieve each month. That way you won't be as overwhelmed and you can focus on each goal one at a time.

Here's an example:

The most common new years resolution is to lose weight. Now people always say they will start going to the gym the first day of the new year and they will eat better and cook more and not eat out as much. However, life is quick to catch up to you and you realize everything you have on your plate begins to stress you out so you do the only thing natural, you prioritize. What can you do without?

"I don't need to go to the gym today. I went yesterday."

"I don't have any time to cook, I'll just order in."

"I'm going to have to skip that yoga class because I've got a major assignment due on Monday."

And sooner or later, you'll realize you don't have enough hours in the day to do everything you want to do, so you quit. You let go of what you can do without, and you move on, always promising yourself you're going to start up again "tomorrow."

Here's what I think you should do:

Create a plan. Pick three days out of the week (that's 3 out of 7) that you can dedicate a slot of time to go to the gym or workout at home or go for a run. Whatever activity you decide to do, do it on those three days. If you want, you can add on another day or two, but the minimum is three.

Next, stop weighing yourself after every workout. You won't see results immediately. Give it some time and weigh yourself once a week, or once every two weeks. Even if you don't see the scale going down, as long as the number stays the same, you're doing something right.

When it comes to setting goals, make sure you are making them reasonable. Losing 20 lbs in two weeks isn't likely to happen. The norm is 1-2 lbs a week, maybe more or maybe less. And what's important is making sure you keep setting new goals as motivation for each month.

But exercise isn't enough by itself. Changes in diet are proven to have an even bigger effect on weight loss than running a mile. So, designating one day out of the week to go out and enjoy a nice meal is better than trying to eat healthy every day and getting upset when you can't cook one night. Prepare meals ahead of time. The most crucial thing to do is to eat at least five times a day, quick little snacks in between big meals, so you keep your metabolism in check. And drink lots of water.

So, go ahead and chant "new year, new me" because you have every right to want to change some aspects of your life. Whether that includes your healthy lifestyle or removing toxic people from your life, break up that huge goal so it's not as scary to look at and won't overwhelm you into quitting.

You'll be thankful come December when you stare 2018 in the face saying "Bring it on!"