The year 2017 has officially begun leaving the events of 2016 in the past. A common practice with each new year is making some kind of resolution with the goal to change for the better. However, the trend for the last couple years has been how long it takes to break a new year’s resolution rather than how it lasts or if ever achieved. Rather than making a reachable resolution, the inclination is to create a laughable goal that will end before it ever really begins.

A new year’s resolution is a great way to start to make a healthy change in your life if you feel one is necessary. While some people might clap back and say this could be done anytime throughout the year if one simply chooses to do so, the tradition of officially claiming a resolution at the beginning of the year creates a community of people who have the same larger goal in mind: make a life change that’s best for the individual.

Finding the best resolution for you might seem like a difficult task with endless self-reflection involved in the process. Except, it does not have to be that way. The best tactic for a successful new year’s resolution is to keep it simple and small. Avoid making some arduous promise to yourself that you know you won’t be able to keep.

For example, diet resolutions are a popular trend each year. The typical phrasing might be something like “my new year’s resolution is to eat better/healthier” or even “I’m going on a diet for my new year’s resolution”. While this might work for some, it certainly does not work for all. Resolutions like these, while admirable, are quite difficult to achieve because of their general and high expectation nature. If you are among the people with a goal such as this for the new year, try zeroing in on one aspect of your diet and focus specifically on that.

An example of this might be water intake. If your diet has always lacked water, make a simple change of trying to increase the amount of water you drink. This is a simple but very healthy change anyone can make. If you struggle with remembering daily changes, make your resolution a monthly one. Decide on a certain number of ounces you wanted to drink each month and log your progress. This way, you will achieve your resolution in no time.

Another example might be a lifestyle change. Now by itself, this is too general to even remotely be achievable. However, take a step back and think of one aspect of your life that you can and would like to make better. For instance, do you get enough sleep each night? This might be a bit more challenging resolution, but for those that like to challenge themselves it is perfect. To make this resolution a simple one, keep your normal nightly schedule but start an hour earlier than usual. If this doesn’t help because your timing is not always consistent, give yourself a specific time range. Ranges are typically easier to stick to rather than one time because once the singular time has passed you have given yourself an excuse to give up easily.

The list could go on and on of typical general new year’s resolution trends that could be made more specific to create a simple, easy and attainable goal for the new year. Just follow the same approach for each one: find the general resolution, break it down into individual, detailed pieces then choose the best for you. New year’s resolutions might seem like a thing of the past. Those of you brave enough to continue the tradition from a new angle will find it refreshing and successful.