Making and Keeping New Years Resolutions in 2016.

Many historians date resolutions back to 153 BC with mythical king Janus. The mythical king with two faces. One of his faces could reflect on past events while the other could look forward to the future. Romans then placed his picture on the first month of their calendars. It is said that January is derived from the name Janus. King Janus became synonymous with change for the New Year and resolutions developed from there.

From the very beginning, the top resolutions have included changes in physical fitness, reconciling a relationship or giving up a bad habit. The basic resolutions haven't changed much through the years.

It is very common for people to make New Year’s resolutions at the beginning of the year and “forget” what they were by the end of February. Nearly 45% of American’s make resolutions, but the number of those that keep the resolutions throughout the year is much lower. Resolutions are always made with the best of intentions, but for one reason or another tend to fall by the wayside quite quickly.

In order to ensure more success than typical with your resolutions, there are things you can do. Getting help in keeping your resolutions is very beneficial. Support structures work wonders. This can work both ways, assume that your friends can use the same support with their resolutions and you can help each other. Most things are easier with company. In addition this will keep you accountable to another person, along with yourself.

Along with support, keeping your resolutions will require hard work on your part. For those that work to avoid hard work, keeping resolutions will be impossible. Remember that breaking a resolution is not a one-time problem. Every time you break one, you are sending a signal to yourself that you are a type of person who breaks resolutions. If you keep doing this you will soon stop believing that you are capable of keeping any resolutions in the future. Your own mind is a very powerful tool and must be programmed correctly in order to be successful. You can keep your resolutions and are going to!

A very important key to remember is that plans rarely work out as you imagined they would. If through the course of keeping your resolutions, changes to them need to be made to make them more effective, make the changes. This doesn’t mean you are not keeping your resolutions, you are simply making them better as you go along. We all know the most adaptable plans are the ones that survive and thrive.

One of the very biggest factors is to learn to enjoy your resolutions. Rather than expecting to be happy at the outcome, start experiencing the joy of the activity to reach the outcome. For example if your resolution is to exercise 3 times a week, find activities that you enjoy doing. Of course the outcome of better health and fitness will bring you joy, but if the activity you do to reach the outcome is one you enjoy, the journey will be so much better.

When looking at the list for this year, the resolutions seem a bit vague. That is another major reason people fail to keep their resolutions. It is very easy to say you want to lose weight. Following the above tips will help in that goal. However, quite often if a goal is too vague, there is no real measurement to keep you focused. So for those who fully intend on following through on their January promises, the language of the actual resolutions and the specific nature of them will aid in success. Specific goals will ensure that you are on the right track and keep you focused.

In addition, smaller goals throughout the year can also help keep you focused on that long-term year long resolution. Accomplishing smaller goals throughout the process will continue to boost your confidence along the way.

I have set a very specific goal of wanting to lose 50 lbs by the end of December. I plan to do this by heading to the gym 3 days a week, with one of those days consisting of a high impact class, such as turbo kick. I am also going to keep my caloric intake to under 1700 calories per day. I plan to lose 25 lbs by the end of June.

This is my main resolution, and I have made it attainable, specific and timed as to hopefully lead to my success. I plan on being 50lbs lighter by the time I set resolutions for 2015. This is the weight I was at before my first child, I have been there before, and going to work to get there again!

Many of today’s smartphones, tablets and other devices offer apps that can help people keep on track and ensure they stick to their resolutions throughout the year. Mobile devices have become a vital part of our daily routine. Apps can help simplify and enhance our lives by providing us with the tools necessary to meet our New Year’s goals and make positive improvements.

A favorite app of mine is MyFitnessPal. I plan to utilize this to keep me on track with my resolution. This app allows me to easily keep track of my calories consumed along with exercise done. I can pull up the app before enjoying that extra snack and see where I am at for the day. If I see that I am already close to my maximum intake, I will resist the snack. In addition this app keeps a running tally of weight loss and goals met.

In addition to fitness apps, there are several financial apps that can be used to track spending, create budgets and help with saving money, if that is your particular resolution. These apps can even send alerts regarding upcoming bills, unusual activity and low balances.

If your resolution is to do a better job of staying in touch with family and friends, video communication such as Skype can be very useful. Skype provides the ability to have a face-to-face conversation with someone, even if they are miles away. This is far more personal than a simple message, and can keep those relationships much stronger.

If number 6 on the list, learning something exiting, is one of your resolutions, Khan Academy features an extensive library that covers many subjects, taught by education experts. Subjects include finance, biology, chemistry, physics, history, and many others. The app allows you to track your progress and earn badges while challenging yourself to become proficient on many topics.

New Year’s present everyone with the opportunity to set goals and make changes in their lives over the course of the next year. No matter what your resolutions are, I hope you are able to make your specific, ambitions dreams a reality. One step at a time and one mini goal at a time, let’s work hard to make 2014 a great year!