It's a New Year and we all know what that means - New Years Resolutions.

Whether it be losing weight, finding that special someone, traveling, or quitting those bad habits... the New Year is the perfect occasion to set goals for yourself, and 2017 is the year to keep them.

Try these tips before you let the gym shoes collect dust or deem yourself "forever alone"

Set achievable goals. Be realistic with yourself. Set goals that challenge you, but don't discourage you. Recognize the difference between end goals and the smaller short term goals that you need to set for yourself to get there. Be patient with yourself, because as badly as we wish they would - positive differences don't happen overnight.

Be intentional! Why are you setting this goal for yourself? Set goals/resolutions that you reflect on and truly want to achieve, not just because it's trendy.

Write down your goals. Journals, sticky notes on your mirror, in your agenda - anywhere where you'll see them every day and be reminded of what you are motivated to accomplish. Simply seeing your goals written down is the first step in the direction of achieving them.

Track your progress. While this isn't relevant for all goals, it proves to be motivating for most of those New Year goals. Having a visual to remind yourself that your life is not stagnant.

Tell your friends what you're doing. Having someone, or a group of people to hold you accountable for the things you wish to do/achieve is just another reason to keep it up. Their responsibility is to cheer you on and encourage you to not give up - who knows, they might offer useful insight.

Be proud of yourself. Setting meaningful goals is something in itself to be proud of, every day that you hold yourself accountable and work toward your goals is awesome!

If you find that you've let yourself fall below your personal standard don't beat yourself up - there's no shame in starting over. Believe it or not, you can treat every day like it's the first day of the year, it's never too late to move toward the goals that you have. Remember why you set those goals for yourself - it isn't always going to be a straightforward, easy path but if it's something you want it will be well worth the hard work and perseverance in the end.