2018 is finally here! We’ve made it through to a new year, though now the only question is, what’s so new about it? How much will an eight replacing a seven change? The truth is that this new year can change a lot or nothing; it’s all about the approach.

According to a recent  Statistic Brain Research Institute research study, over 41% of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, but as a commonly cited statistic goes, only eight percent keep them. This is likely due to three things: ambiguity, reasonability, and time flexibility.

In order to pull through to meet your resolution, you need to make clear exactly what it is you are hoping to achieve. A resolution such as “being more healthy” is difficult to effectively reach because it’s so vague. Instead, try vowing to “eat more vegetables in place of processed foods.” This way, you can’t cheat your way out of your resolution.

New Year’s resolutions need to be plausible. Resolutions don’t solve anything on their own, so the more far-fetched the resolution is, the less likely it is for it to be met. Once you have your resolution in mind, assess its reasonability to ensure it’s something you can achieve.

The goal of New Year’s resolutions is to help you improve so you can feel better about yourself. If your goals aren’t within the realm of reason, it will only make you feel badly about your lack of improvement. Procrastination makes it even more difficult to meet your resolution. It has been proven to take 21 days to form a habit, so it’s important to make a schedule.

Whether you immediately reach your resolution or not, you will have learned a lot about yourself and your work ethic in terms of self-improvement in the process.

This piece also appears in our January print edition.