It is a brand new year, which means everyone is making New Year's Resolutions. They are often cliché, like losing weight or eating healthier. Why else would gyms and rec centers offer special deals on memberships in January? Some people make more meaningful ones, like keep a gratitude journal or see friends more often. Perhaps the best resolutions are the ones that are more personal and not based on what everyone else is doing. That is if any kind of resolution is made at all.

The problem with resolutions is that not many works to actually keep them. They are notorious for being broken almost immediately. If they do last, it is only for a week or so until it's forgotten. It happens to me almost every year that I decide to do or change something, but it never lasts. But the next year, I still make more resolutions, and the cycle repeats.

It is gotten to the point that making resolutions seems to be a bandwagon effort like people only make resolutions just because that's the thing to do. Around this time of year, everyone always asks what other's resolutions are going to be as well as coming up with ideas for their own. Even if resolutions are made, no true effort is made to even adhere to them.

There is certainly nothing wrong with making New Year's Resolutions, though. The start of a new year is refreshing, like wiping the slate clean so you can start over. There is no better time to try to do something different. But New Year's Resolutions don't mean anything if you don't keep them.

If you actually want to make your resolution come true, make some sort of plan to keep it. Keep a progress chart so you can visualize your efforts. Have an accountability partner so you have someone to support your decision and to check in with. Turn one big resolution into several smaller ones to make achieving your resolution more realistic. Don't overwhelm yourself with too many resolutions or else you won't get anywhere. Don't let any fallbacks discourage you — they're bound to happen. Most importantly, adhere to your resolution because it's something that you actually want to do, not because you feel like you should do it. In other words, do something to try to make the resolution come true.

If you want to make a resolution, try to keep it. Make some good change in your life. Make 2019 the best year yet.