By Briana Luca, Student at Iona College

One of the main parts of the new year is the resolutions we make. Every year, people make a list of new things they want to try or changes they want to make to their lives in the new year.

Most of those people never follow through. Halfway through the new year, those people get caught up in their regular routines and forget about the resolutions they made at the beginning.

You might be a victim of resolution making and failing — I definitely am, but this year, I am going to make the effort and change that bad habit.

I think resolutions are wonderful. A new year gives you a clean slate to change your life. It’s a different kind of motivation that gives you the power to start over and make the changes you want to … you just need to find it within yourself to stick to the resolutions you make.

When making resolutions, keep them to a minimum. If you have a streak of not keeping your resolutions, only write down a few. I try not to write too many outlandish goals that are far from my reach because those are harder to keep. At the same time, I don’t want to sell myself short so I keep a few crazy changes to keep myself on my toes.

You could get more organized and divide the list into months, making each month of the year a different resolution. Set a monthly goal so you can focus on one thing instead of a bunch at once.

I think a major thing in making New Year's resolutions is remembering them. I always make a Word document with my resolutions, but it gets lost in the shuffle of my desktop folders.

The best way to keep track of your resolutions is to keep them posted somewhere you always are. Put a list of them in your planner so you are always aware of changes you should be making. You could tape them to the wall above your desk so you are constantly looking at the list, making your mind more aware of things you should be doing.

If you’re really serious about keeping your New Year’s resolutions, you will keep them. It’s a dilemma that most people are faced with around this time of year, so you aren’t alone.

Sit down, think of the things you don’t like in your life and make the effort to change them. You are the only one who has the power to change your life and what better time to start than the new year?

Want to find ways to keep your New Year's resolutions? Check out our New Year, New Chic board on Pinterest.

Image courtesy of FrameAngel / FreeDigitalPhotos.net