Five Ways to Keep Your New Years Resolutions

This is how I plan to stay on track through the year to keep my New Years Resolutions:

1. Do some research. 
Before you set your goal, learn more about it. For example if you want to become better at photography, read your camera's manual or search for tutorials on different techniques. Find out whatever you can about the topic. Giving yourself the resources to succeed will make achieving your goal that much easier. Research can also be on a personal level. Don't commit yourself to the #mileaday if you hate running! Make sure your goal is something you enjoy and something you want to do in order to get the most out of your resolutions for the new year. 

2. Join!
There are plenty of apps and websites to join that can help you track your goals. If there is a free service that will track your progress, why not take advantage of it? Having a way to see the progress you're making or what you're doing to stay on target will help you stay focused on what you want to achieve. 

3. Find friends.
Having a friend that wants to achieve the same things you do will help motivate you. It will make your goals even more fun and easier to achieve. If you have a friend that also wants to save money, you wont feel bad about renting something out of RedBox instead of going to the movie theater. If you don't have any friends that share your goals, find some! There are tons of personal blogs and forums about everything from fitness to crocheting that can provide you with a friendly message of encouragement.

4. Document.
Show yourself that you're making progress is one of the best motivators. If you can see a visible improvement you will be more likely to stay on task than if you think your hard work is for nothing. It can be as open as submitting your writing to a literary magazine or as private as keeping track of your weight on a hidden word document.

5. Reward yourself.
Give yourself a pat on the back for all the hard work you do. Not only is it great to enjoy the reward but knowing that you will get to eat pizza after a month of only salad will help keep you eating right so you can really enjoy that reward. Another reward method is purchasing something that will help you on your way to reaching your goal. Buy new sneakers or a cute pair of sweatpants that will make you excited to get to the gym!