HOW TO KEEP YOUR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS - Reality

The second reason I will discuss for not keeping resolutions is the fact that many resolutions are unrealistic. Now don't get me wrong, I think you should dream big, but if you can't believe your dream could come true, then what kind of effort are you really going to waste on it?

It is easy to make resolutions when we're all pumped up with excitement. Unfortunately, we tend to act like children hitting the dessert bar - we really load up thinking we're going to really enjoy all of it. In the end, we either get sick from trying to eat too much or embarrassed from all the wasted food on our plate. It works the same with resolutions. We can kill ourselves trying to do too much. Instead of declaring "I will never eat another carb for as long as I live", maybe we should be a little more realistic and change that resolution to something like only having a small amount of carbs each day.

Another trap is when you are doing things for others and not for yourself. You may even now be trying to keep some resolution or reach some goal that you really don't care about except that your mom or your spouse or someone you care about wants or expects you to do it. It is really hard to be motivated to do something for someone else's reasons.

Take a look at the things you are pursuing and if you find you are not being realistic, do yourself a favor and change plans. Just because you change your plan doesn't mean you are giving up. Pursue those things you can truly believe you can do and make sure you are doing it for you.