I want to eat healthier this year. No, actually, I want to travel more. Ah wait, I want to be nicer. Yeah, nicer… this year I will radiate positive vibes, bringing smiles to everyone’s faces. I’ll even give to charity! 2018 will be my year, I just know it–oh wait, wasn’t that my resolution last year? Oops.

Now let’s take a step back and think, am I really going to follow through with this New Year’s resolution?

Odds are, no.

Why, you might ask? New Year’s resolutions are an overplayed tradition with absolutely no value. We all know it, yet every year we gather around our loved ones confessing our yearly sins. We promise each other change but it’s all bluff. Reality is, if you were unhappy with something in your life you would have changed it right away, not until January 1.

Here is why resolutions don’t work: They are not goals, they are vague, and they don’t work into your current schedule.

No matter how convinced you are, your New Year’s resolution isn’t a goal. It’s more of a suggestion. It has the potential of becoming a goal, but most of the time it’s so vague that it’s impossible to know what steps to take.

A good way to make an efficient goal is to use the SMART goal format. SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and trackable. Making a SMART goal gets rid of any vagueness your resolution has. This can help you transition from suggestion to the graphic organizer. Notice I said graphic organizer. That’s because setting the goal is just the first step.

If you want a change to happen in your life, you have to make room for change, internally and externally. That means changing your schedule. Setting that limit allows you to make a better SMART goal. If you want something to become a part of your daily routine you have to make some hard choices and sometimes even sacrifices. Many don’t follow through with their resolution because it’s not something important to them. 

Make a schedule you can stick to but most importantly, don’t lose sight of why your resolution makes you happy. 

Remember you don’t have to wait until the year is over to change your life. Every day is a new day and a new start.

So 2018, how bout dat?