For the past couple of years, I’ve eschewed New Year’s Resolutions. So many of our well-intentioned resolves fall by the wayside as the dark hours of winter linger onward, and the inspiration we felt as the year turned wanes into the humdrum of everyday living. I began to feel that resolutions were a manner of setting myself up for failure.

But this year, I’ve chosen to reconsider my stance. Instead of looking at resolutions as an end result of where I want to be next year this time, I’ve chosen to embrace my new resolves as a journey throughout the upcoming months. Too many times, I’ve jumped into resolutions with a manic fervor, determined to make all my changes within the first week of the year’s dawning, only to find my stamina dissolving by the end of January.

So this time around, I’m focusing less on what I want to achieve and more on how I’m going to achieve it. After all, the most successful changes are the small ones, implemented over a length of time.

For instance, if you’re lamenting holiday indulgences and declaring a resolution to “lose weight”, why not make a few subtle changes in the months ahead – one small step at a time on a journey toward renewed health instead of simply shedding pounds? Eliminate things slowly – try reducing the size of your regular flavored latte or opting for one less pump of syrup? (I work part-time at Starbucks, and I always think one less shot of sugar is a good thing.)

Instead of a full can of soda, why not buy a liter and pre-measure into reusable bottles to reduce both waste and calories?

If your goal is to become more active, work in those resolves gradually by committing to as little as ten minutes of exercise per day and grow it from there as the habit becomes established.

If you’d like to read more, set a small page count each evening with something manageable rather than attempting to tackle War and Peace in a month’s time.

Not all changes need to be drastic ones. In fact, small changes have the greatest effect, making your resolutions habits in the long-term. So what are your goals this year?

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