Start small. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same goes for achieving your goals in the New Year. If there are big goals you’d like to accomplish, such as buying a house or a car, taking a big trip, or starting a business, it might seem intimidating to tackle head on. Try breaking these goals into smaller steps for quicker success.

Keep negativity out. Surrounding yourself with negative energy is the first step toward shutting the door on your resolutions. Keep yourself goal oriented and positive by trying to avoid stressful situations or finding a coping mechanism for unavoidable worries.

Make time for you. There’s nothing wrong with taking a little time for yourself. If your goal is to lose weight, don’t punish yourself for taking the day off from the gym. Instead, reward yourself when you hit your benchmarks. This builds positive reinforcement over time.

Take your resolutions public. Share your goals with friends and family, or consider posting your journey to social media. Impressing people with your progress and having others hold you accountable are great ways to stay motivated.

Turn it into a game. The same way we make usually boring tasks for kids (like cleaning) into a game, your resolutions can appear much more practicable when made into a fun activity. You could involve friends and even make it a competition—whatever you can think of to make reaching your goals fun.

Download For motivation to keep your resolutions, download our printable New Year goals!

For more helpful resolution ideas, visit americanlifestylemag.com/newyou.