It’s that time of year again. The time where we can’t believe how quickly the year has gone by. The time where, after reflection, we begin to set goals. It’s a New Year, New You. Now, whether or not we follow through with those goals is another story. It’s a time where we, as a people, kinda-sorta try to get our stuff together.

The past few years, I feel like people have knocked New Year’s Resolutions. “Oh, I think it’s stupid to wait until January to do something.” “People should be doing those actions already. Stop tricking yourself into thinking the New Year will mean something different.” “New Year’s Resolutions? Hah. You fall off the horse barely a month in.”

But you know what?
I think those people are wrong.

The idea of a “New Year’s” Resolution appeals to our psyche. It’s an instance of a very clear “beginning” (in this case, of the year), that is recognized by all. We don’t often celebrate the beginning of each month, so the fact that we celebrate the beginning of a year gives more legitimacy to our plans. It’s the one time where it’s “ok” to share them with one another. We don’t feel shame or embarrassment in talking of our gym plans or about the novel we’re planning to write.

Why is that? Why is it that after all the glitz and glamour of the New Year wears off, we fall right back into the muck and drudgery of day-to-day life? It’s because of boredom, a lack of clearly defined goals (i.e. the lack of steps to get there), and from watching people give up around us. But why should we let those circumstances affect us? If you want to change your life, it is in YOUR power to! Take responsibility for your life, your dreams, and your intentions. Stop waiting and BUILD the kind of life you deserve!

5 STEPS TO MAKING YOUR NEW YEAR A SUCCESS

1. Take the time to know GRATITUDE

A lot of research in recent years has demonstrated the strength and healing power, both physically and emotionally, of practicing gratitude. A daily practice builds the foundation of self-love, which is necessary for any individual to grow or excel in life. It’s crazy to think that “positive thinking” can really affect our thoughts and behaviors so much, but it really is a case of mind over matter. Now, I’m not one to practice this. I’m actually pretty bad at maintaining a positive attitude sometimes, but after reading so many articles covering the benefits of gratitude, I’ve decided to make it a daily practice of mine in the New Year.

TRY IT: Get a dry erase marker and keep it in your bathroom. Every morning, write a new “I’m thankful…/I’m blessed…” statement on the mirror. Keep it in your mind throughout the day — it’ll not only make a positive impact on yourself, but on those you live with, as well!

2. Make SLEEP a priority

It’s not even funny what a good night’s sleep can do for you. Science tells us about it, Mom tells us, teachers tell us…over and over and OVER again, and yet, we like to stay up past midnight when six hours later we need to be up and running for school/work/kids/etc. again. WHY DO WE THINK THAT’S A GOOD IDEA?!

When you get enough sleep, your body can function how it’s meant to function. Your metabolism can run, your hunger is kept in check, and you have energy. A full night’s sleep cultivates a positive attitude, curiosity to try new things, increased productivity, and patience for all that’s around you. Not too bad, huh? So let’s make those eight hours a little more important.

TRY IT: Count back 8-9 hours from when you need to wake up in the morning (yes, even if that means going to bed at 9pm!). Turn it all off: the TV, your computer, your iPhone — set all your alarms you need in the morning, grab a book or a magazine, and crawl into bed. Now take a deep breath. You’re in your comfy bed, under a big, fluffy comforter! You can relax, ok? Unwind. Loosen your muscles, relieve the tension you carry in your body day to day. If you’d like, take a bath, drink a mug of decaf tea, or listen to some soothing music. Whatever you need to do to unwind — do it. The stimulation from electronics messes up our internal sleeping mechanisms, so the major point is to avoid them before bedtime. It’s ok to take a break from technology!

3. Pick your goals and MAP them out

What do you want to achieve this year? What do you finally want to make happen? Get a dry erase board, pad of paper, laptop, tablet — whatever helps you organize your thoughts best. Now pick a goal. What steps do you need to do to achieve that goal? List them all, whether or not you actually know how to do them. Create a map, a diagram, or whatever sort of visual helps you understand your step-by-step process to reach your goal. Maybe you are trying to lose weight or achieve better health. Your steps could include finding healthy recipes you may enjoy, walking or doing another sort of physical activity every day, figuring out ways to drink more water, adding some greens to each meal of the day, finding upbeat music to motivate your workouts, etc.

Use this diagram as a guideline. Adjust it as you go along. Scribble in additional steps, or scratch out ones that you try and end up not working. The purpose is to help you move closer to your goal, one step at a time.

TRY IT: Do a little bit each day. Whether it’s walking for 10 minutes, blogging for 30, playing piano scales for 15…do something. A little each day will get you further (and will be less daunting) than trying to do something for 3 hours one day a week. Besides, a little every day will keep you focused on your goal, as well as (assuming you’re passionate about what it is you’re pursuing) keep your spirits up.

4. VISUALIZE yourself and your success

When you allow yourself to go deeply into visualization, feeling the emotions you want to be feeling, viewing yourself as you wish to appear, your mind is not able to differentiate between that and reality. As you practice visualization more and more, your mind identifies your visions as reality, and your being as a whole is able to move more swiftly towards your goals of success. It takes a lot to visualize because a lot of times, we don’t allow ourselves to have what we really want. Perhaps we don’t find ourselves worthy, or we’re too embarrassed to indulge in those visions. Don’t let those feelings trump you! Engage in visualization as a tool to facilitate your dreams!

TRY IT: Take 5 minutes each day. Pick one goal you are pursuing. What are you doing? How do you look? How do you feel? Are you excited? Nervous? Proud? Do you feel brave? How do you look upon yourself? With grace? Gratitude? What are the emotions you are pursuing as you try to reach your goals? How do you want to feel? Do you feel that way? Be sure to push aside any negative thoughts or emotions. You don’t want to get trapped in the mind cycle of “I can’t do it. I’ll never get there. I’m not good enough.” Feel positive, feel hopeful, feel uplifted.

5. Share your journey with others and ENCOURAGE them in theirs

There’s nothing like being surrounded by likeminded individuals. You become a support group for one another, as well as a gold mine of information full of experience and dos and do-nots. Of course, on the flip side, it’s also a great challenge to be surrounded by the disbelief and negativity of people who think you’re going off the deep end. It’s ok. Let them think that. Be an example to those around you of what it looks like to pursue your dreams. Let people ask questions! Share your journey, the highs and the lows. Ask others what they are passionate about. Encourage them to make changes, step-by-step. We can revolutionize today’s society!

TRY IT: Keep a journal of your goal pursuits. You don’t need to update it every day (unless, of course, you want to) — shoot for once a week or so. Very quickly, this journal will become proof of the changes you have made and the success you are experiencing in the New Year.

Go forth in making your 2013 New Year’s Resolutions. I believe that you can succeed in them, so should you!