As we approach the New Year, it's very easy to set some "resolutions." I put that word in quotes because, for many of us (including myself), they are more of a hypothetical concept. Setting goals is never easy, especially when we attempt to attack so many things all at once. All of these steps center around knowing oneself well enough to understand how to reach personal goals. Here are my steps to conquering the New Year in a healthy, happy, realistic way.

Step 0.5: Purge.

Take that annoying phrase, "new year, new me," somewhat seriously and purge your life. Go through your clothes and purge the pieces you never wear anymore. Go through your phone and delete apps you don't use, music you don't listen to, and photos you know are already saved onto your computer. Start off with a clean slate.

Step 1: Google Calendar.

Friend, start using Google Calendar. Start using Google Calendar. For the love of all that is good, start using Google Calendar. Is it a little bit ~extra~ to schedule out every moment of every day? Yeah, kinda. But if that's what you think you need to do to keep yourself on track in 2017, then do it. Even if you just schedule in your classes and appointments, having a calendar will make such a difference in the way you go through life. Start showing up on time, take control of the minutes you spend in 2017, and develop a beautiful color code for all of your engagements.

Step 2: Set some realistic goals (resolutions, if you will).

This step is incredibly crucial in starting a new year, but also in any sort of project. Set realistic goals. If you've worked out a total of twice in 2016, don't pretend like you're going to be able to start working out every day in 2017. Start off slow, pace yourself, and don't kid yourself. Don't get me wrong, you should set goals that are going to be a challenge and will benefit you. But what I want is to get to this time next year and be able to say, "hey, I actually accomplished what I wanted to accomplish," not, "I can't believe I only stuck to it for three weeks." We are flawed creatures, but we are also very intelligent. Get motivated, and push yourself to establish new habits.

Step 3: Integrate them into your daily/weekly schedule.

Step 3 is a meshing of Steps 1 and 2. Don't just assume that you'll make time to work out, eat healthy, stay in touch with friends, read more books, do community service, etc. Make time. Put what you want to do into your calendar, and set a notification to remind you...without a snooze setting. Set hours aside each week to accomplish your goals. Be realistic with this step, however. If you know you won't get up at 7am to work out or write in a journal, don't schedule that time for yourself.

Step 4: Find people to hold you accountable.

Accountability partners are the bomb.com. We all can get by with a little help from our friends, and reaching goals is no exception. That being said, choose your partner(s) wisely. Find someone that shares your passion for a specific goal, and communicate with each other on progress. Encourage each other to reach higher.

Step 5: Call yourself out.

There comes a time in any project where we simply start to lose steam. Do not accept that from yourself. So often we just let ourselves off the hook when it comes to setting goals--something I am definitely guilty of. No matter where you want yourself to go in 2017, don't settle for only making it halfway there.

Step 5.5: Stop making excuses, start taking action.

In order to call yourself out on the way you're attacking your goals, you cannot give a million excuses. Obviously, there are many viable reasons for letting goals take the back-burner. But the best way to keep the ball rolling is to trade those excuses for actions: when you feel yourself slipping away from your goals, start pushing yourself, start making an extra effort to stay on track.

Step 6: Always reward, never remove.

The step we've all been waiting for: incentives. All sorts of specialists have different views on what works and what doesn't when it comes to rewarding/punishing in goal-attaining. My opinion is to always reward the good, and refrain from punishing yourself, or removing things that you love in life when you falter from your goal. If you need to promise yourself ice cream at the end of the month for eating healthy, then let yourself look forward to that; always add rewards, don't steal away the things that make you happy. We all slip up, and although we can't excuse simply giving up and being lazy (see Steps 5-5.5), we have to accept that as long we're trying our best, we're winning. Working towards a goal should make you feel good about yourself, and reaching them should definitely be celebrated.

Step 7: Don't forget to say, "thank you."

Remember those accountability partners from Step 4? SAY THANK YOU TO THEM. Say thank you to everyone that supports you throughout your 2017. Whether they directly contribute to reaching your goals or not, thank the people in your life because they are what make you want to be a better you. Thank your parents and professors and friends and roommates and everyone that takes the effort and time out of their lives to pour into yours. Never stop showing people that you appreciate everything they do for you.