“New Year, new me” is a phrase spoken by millions at the beginning of each year, yet very few people follow through. Only 9% of people manage to keep their goals all year. If you want to achieve your goals, there are a few steps you can take to raise your chance of success. 

Creating achievable goals is extremely important to your likelihood of following through with them. Setting goals can be an exciting task and you may think you are more capable than you are of doing something. This is extremely discouraging when you learn that the task may be too hard and eventually, you give up.

 You can avoid dropping a task quickly and set more achievable goals using the SMART technique, which stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. Using this strategy helps you think about your goals and readjust them to your limits as you go.

Another way to ensure your goals are realistic is to allow yourself to fail and not let it hold you back. Making mistakes and being able to overcome them is what makes you stronger. Keeping a positive mindset lets you stay consistent and patient. With consistency comes progress even if it takes a while. You also can break down some of the larger goals you have into smaller chunks to make them feel more manageable and relieve potential stressors. If you are feeling unmotivated to finish a goal, writing why you are doing it down and surrounding yourself with it by placing it in areas you frequently see presents a daily reminder of why you are fulfilling your goal. 

Surrounding yourself with people who will help you and encourage you instead of doing the opposite is extremely important. These people make you feel like you can accomplish your goals and make the process easier. Having people around you who give you feedback help you adjust your goals and celebrate your milestones instead of putting you down can help you keep your positive mindset and your head held high. All of these factors should lead you on a good road to fulfilling your goals by the end of the year.