January 1 is just two days away. A new year means a new you, right? Not so fast. How many times have you made a laundry list of New Year's resolutions only to fall off the wagon within days? {relatedarticles}Whether it's losing weight, quitting smoking or becoming more organized, we all have our wishlist of things we'd like to change in our lives. The trick is following through on those promises to ourselves. With the proper strategies it's more than possible - it's plausible. For starters, be selective with what you want to change. Make resolutions that will bring you a great amount of fulfillment and happiness. Make your resolutions achievable. Choose one or two goals at which you'd really like to succeed and direct your focus there. Be realistic in setting goals. Don't make your goals too lofty. For example, if your goal is to exercise more, your aim shouldn't be to work out seven days a week when you're just getting started. You'll burn out quickly and find yourself right back at ground zero. Start small. If you need to lose 50 pounds, break your resolution down into pieces.
Set out to drop weight in five-pound intervals. If saving money is your resolution, start in $25 increments. Make your resolutions manageable. Journal your success. Keep track of your progress. Seeing it there in black and white will be even further motivation.{relatedarticles} As you meet benchmarks for your goal, reward yourself. Just make sure that your reward doesn't go against your goal. For example, if you are building up your savings account, don't make your reward a lavish purchase. Make people aware of your goal so that they can support your endeavors. Even if you take a step back, stay on track. Don't quit. Just pick yourself up and move on.