At the start of every new year, everyone goes crazy trying to make New Year’s resolutions. There are also a lot of people that post pictures on social media with captions such as “New Year New Me” or even “Thank u, next” in reference to Ariana Grande’s latest pop hit. But in reality, most people will inevitably fall back into their same old routines and not keep up with their resolutions once February rolls around. Plans to run or go to the gym in the morning soon fade as you hit the snooze button for the fourth time. Splurging a little on one item may soon lead to a drained bank account. So what can you do to make sure you keep up with your resolutions?

1. Keep a positive mindset.

Although your goals may initially seem quite daunting, don’t immediately consider this a reason to give up on accomplishing them. If you start out trying to work towards your goals with a negative attitude, it will be much more difficult to reach your goals, and you will be more prone to giving up. Depending on what your goals are, you may not see much progress as first. But if you continue to stay determined and keep up with completing your tasks, you will eventually see success. If you falter a little bit in keeping up with your objectives, don’t let it hold you back from getting back on the horse and accomplishing your goals, even if it takes you a little longer than expected. Setbacks are a part of life and are inevitable to move forward.

2. Make your goals more manageable.

Many people may try to set big goals that may take a while to accomplish. As a result, don’t freak out if you don’t immediately see the progress you want to see. One way to make your goals more manageable is to break them into smaller milestones until you finally accomplish your overall goal. For example, if your goal is to do 200 hours of community service, it is more reasonable to try to do 3 hours a week until you reach your goal rather than try to cram 200 hours as soon as you possibly can. Another helpful tip is to track your goals or write them down somewhere. By keeping tabs on your goals you will be able to look back and have a record of your progress. In addition, you will be able to be more focused on your short term goals and have a larger sense of accomplishment than if you focus solely on your overall objective.

3. Ask others to help you keep up with your goals.

Oftentimes, asking friends or family members to help support you with your goals can give you the extra encouragement to follow through with them. Your peers can also serve as accountability partners to make sure that you follow through with your resolutions. By doing so you won’t have to travel on your journey to success alone. You may also want to set goals alongside a friend or family member so that you can both keep each other accountable. This will allow you to encourage each other throughout the process, and hopefully you will both be more successful as well.

I hope this helps you to keep up with your goals for 2019. In addition, don’t feel pressured to only start your goals at the beginning of the new year. Even if it’s mid-July, you can start making your goals into reality. The best time to start is now, and the only thing holding you back is yourself. Having goals and the determination to accomplish them can allow you to better yourself and become one step closer to becoming the best version of yourself. Let’s make 2019 the best year yet.