2015 is here, and as the New Year begins, many of us make positive resolutions and promises to ourselves that we intend to keep. We think about losing weight, getting more exercise, living positively, and getting rid of all those habits that are bad for us.

Unfortunately those good intentions and positive resolutions don’t often last for very long.

Here are some ideas that might help you to keep those New Year’s resolutions for 2015:

Be realistic:

Make your goals realistic. It is good to aim high and challenge yourself, but if your goals are unrealistic, you will just become discouraged. Imagine you are an athletic high-jumper. If the bar is set very high, you will jump but knock it down. So you try again, and knock it down again. After the third time you fail, you will stop believing in yourself and give up. On the other hand if you succeed the first time, you will be encouraged to carry on and to gradually aim higher.

Get a buddy

Share your resolutions with a supportive friend or family member. This means that you will be able to talk to someone when you find that your willpower is weakening or when you are feeling down. You can encourage each other to keep going and to keep positive.

Don’t become despondent

If you break your resolution today just make up your mind to make a new resolution tomorrow. For example if your resolution is to eat healthily, and you eat a whole pile of junk food today, remember that tomorrow is another day. Forget about what happened today, and resolve to keep your promise to yourself tomorrow.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts! – Winston Churchill