So, the first week of the new year has come and gone.

At this early stage in the New Year’s Resolution process, most of us are still high off the “New Year, New Me” mantra motivation, hitting up the spin classes and substituting desserts for green smoothies. You’ll drop a few pounds, get a gym membership, buy an agenda and clear out your closet, all in preparation of the “New You” that is going to take on the world in the coming 12 months. But as the colder weather begins to kick in, our motivation and excitement will begin to fade and those three weeks of hardcore resolution devotion will disappear faster than you can say "Old You." Many of us will cope with the diminishing motivation with a simple shake of the head and a nonchalant “maybe next year,” giving up before the game has even begun. But before you cancel your gym membership and give up on learning that new talent you vowed to master in the new year, hear me out.

First of all, perfection isn’t going to come overnight. Your metabolism isn’t going to suddenly multiply at the stroke of midnight, nor will you immediately gain the organizational skills you so desperately want. The unhealthy or just plain undesirable habits that you’re trying to change probably took years to develop, so how can you expect a complete reversal in mere few weeks? While it may take longer than desired to bid adieu to your 2015 habits, keep one thing in mind: this isn’t a race to the finish, in fact, it’s quite the opposite. The longer you commit yourself to your resolution, the more valid and realistic your resolution becomes. Once you’ve made a commitment to changing your behavior, that is something you’ll carry with you for the rest of your life, breaches in your resolution and all. The process of trial and error is a vital component of any major change, and although reaching your goal entails some bumps along the way, those bumps are what make your resolution realistic and possible—which leads me into my next point.

It’s far too easy to get discouraged by the inevitable—seriously, these are inevitable—setbacks that come with a major lifestyle change. But these are possible, realistic goals that you’ve set for yourself, and despite your supposed challenges, you can make the changes in your life that you want. Whether you’re a high schooler who worked your ass off to snag that coveted spot on varsity or a twenty-year-old who's overcome the college application process and come out the other side at your university of choice, we’ve all overcome challenges in life that were previously seemed close to impossible. But, as stated earlier, this isn’t a race, and there is no time limit for a desired life change. 2016 is a long time, and even if it takes you a few months to get into the swing of things, those few months of commitment and perseverance alone is an accomplishment in itself. Whatever change you want to make in your life, I promise you, it's possible, it’s just a matter of whether you believe so or not.

Finally, remember why you started. Out of everything you could have changed about yourself, out of everything you could have added to your life, you chose this. This one resolution. That's a big deal, one that deserves not only respect and understanding, but action. Whether it’s the promise of less social media or a goodbye to someone who’s held you back, this single change could and will benefit you beyond the calendar straight through to your character. Imagine the person you want to -will- become in these coming twelve months. Will you be more confident if you make this change? Will you be more productive, more happy? You will, and you can. Follow through with what you started and I guarantee you won’t regret it. While there’s no designated time frame to make a change, there’s certainly no time like the present, and too make New Year's have come and gone with resolutions abandoned at the first glimpse of potential failure. If not now, when? Next year? The year after? The year after that? This is something you’ve wanted, and for some time now; you can do it, and you deserve it. You don’t have to be the same person you were in 2015, wanting to make a change but not knowing when or how. There are so many wonderful opportunities to come in the year of 2016, what better time to introduce the “New You” to the world?