The New Year is here and as another year comes to a close people are ready to have a fresh start on 365 days. With this time of year comes New Year Resolutions and all the potential to fail and have the weight of knowing that there’s already something that went wrong with the new chance. Society has also built in a certain stigma. Celebrate during the holidays and indulge in all of the most extravagant foods that you might not normally eat. But then, as soon as January 1^st hits, you need to get a gym membership, buy kale for seven months and set resolutions. But those resolutions are set up for failure. They are the butt of so many jokes because normally nothing ever comes of them. A resolution itself is the firm decision to do something. With such a broad definition though it leaves a lot to be desired and allows for more wiggle room than what might actually be successful in the end.

So instead of setting yourself up for failure this New Year, don’t. Think of setting short term and long term goals. Take small steps and work towards attainable goals that are defined and measurable. And think out past those about what it is that you really want to work towards. What is it that you actually want to achieve? This time next year, as 2018 is stepping into the light, what is it that you want to be able to look back on and actually see the steps you took to get there and how you survived another year.

Something else to keep in mind in starting the New Year off right is to make sure that whatever you are working towards is something that you are doing because YOU want it. Not because society says you have to lose all of that holiday weight that you didn’t actually gain. Or because your family or friends say you need to do this or that in order to be happy. The most successful goals come to fruition because they are something that the person wants more than anything else. Their own personal drive and determination is what’s propelling them towards the finish line. Not anyone else. Yes, surrounding yourself with a loving and supportive team is important in order to stay motivated during the harder times, but at the end of the day it is only you that will be waking up in the morning to tackle the day ahead.

The New Year offers so much hope and opportunity. It can quickly become overwhelming and nosedive to become another year in a string of bad years. Setting yourself up for victory early on in the year will help compound all of the effort put forward. Keep your head up and stay focused. This is your year.