Do you have a new years resolution? According to a study published in 2002, 40-50% of Americans make new years resolutions. The most common resolutions are quitting smoking, starting to exercise and to lose weight.

Some believe they are a waste of time – unsuccessful, demotivating, and expensive. Others relish in the idea of a universal date, where everyone tries to do something to better themselves for the upcoming year. Others still cry out ‘why wait until January 1st, when you could make a change NOW?’

Whichever camp you’re in, there are some things you can do to help make your resolution ‘stick’.
–Avoid the stimulus (for example, deactivate your Netflix account if you want to get off the couch; reduce the number of ‘in person’ visits you have with your friends who smoke; throw out the ice cream (or give it away!))

–Reinforce the behaviours you want to exhibit (pack your gym clothes and put by the door the night before, change your drive home from your favourite place to pick up smokes, look up tasty recipes you’d be excited to try, or join a meal service like Hello Fresh)

–Get some grit! Will power is the number one indicator of success with any change, whether it be career, resolution or otherwise!

Whichever you decide to make your resolution, make sure you are fair to yourself, reasonable, and kind. SMART is an acronym used to help guide goal setting:

Give it a try today!