The New Year is always a great reason to give yourself a little bit of a fresh start, whether it be personal, work related or social. Some people tend to forget about their resolutions after January, but we've got some tips to keep them going all year long.

1. Set goals and plan ahead on how to achieve them - If your goals are financial related or weight loss related, set monthly goals to reach a certain amount by then. If you're quitting smoking, start by setting monthly or weekly goals on cutting down first.
2. Think of resolutions as choices and solutions - Your new year's resolution should be seen as a "life-style choice" Rather than resolving to lose weight, or pay off your debts, decide to live within your means, permanently. Turning your resolutions into changes of habits and decisions will make them last longer.
3. Set realistic and smart goals - Being successful becomes its own motivation, setting yourself up with success with smart goals means they are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-sensitive.
4. Determine what other steps you need to take to be successful - If you're trying to save money then open up a savings account, avoid making a stop for coffee every morning before work. If you're trying to eat healthy, get some lunch containers so you can pack a meal for work everyday.
5. Replace habits, don't try to eliminate them - Habits need to be replaced by new behaviours. If you have a habit of going out for lunch, it won't just go away. It needs to be replaced by making your lunch. plan your meals so that you have left-overs that can become your lunch. Buy groceries, and schedule time to make your lunch at home.
6. Something simple isn't always easy to do - Recognize that simple and easy are not the same... Something simple might not be easy at all. For example, losing weight requires you to expend more energy than you consume. It sounds simple but it isn't easy for everyone to do.
7. Break your goal down into smaller, achievable tasks - If you need to save up a certain amount by a specific date, calculate how many weeks that is, and divide the amount by the number of weeks. Then you will know how much you will need to put away weekly.
8. Help yourself stay focused on your goal - To remind yourself about your goal, associate it with something you do every day, like brushing your teeth. Hang a picture on your mirror, change the wallpaper on your phone or laptop, set a task reminder in your calendar, put a sticker on your debit or credit card.

Focusing on a goal and reminding yourself why you want to make choices that get you closer to achieving your goal will help you stay on track and be successful!

Happy New Year!