Christmas is a continuing party with food and drink that leads into New Year’s Eve. On that night we pledge resolutions meant to change our lives for the better. The number one resolution is to lose weight. Consider that this is after the Halloween tradition of binging on candy. That tradition is followed by the Thanksgiving Day custom of stuffing ourselves before falling into a tryptophan laced sleep in front of the TV. We never admit the twenty-five pounds we put on in three months is not coming in a mere four weeks.

Other popular resolutions are made by cigarette smokers and heavy alcohol drinks swearing to go cold turkey. Any of our habits and unwelcome part of our lives can be an object of a pledge. The next four weeks can bring a variety of stress and disappointment. They can lead to going back to whatever it was that we were trying to rid from our lives. We subject ourselves to pain and guilt before we drop the resolution in vain. Many times, we will make a resolution to try again the next year.

The fact is, if we attack this better, we can achieve our resolution. By forming a plan that breaks down the goal to realistic smaller parts, we take a step toward success. An infant first learns to crawl before taking their first steps. Before they can walk, there is a lot of falling down. Over time the build up to going farther and farther. To achieve your long-term goals you need to practice setting short terms. This is called “chunking.” Part of this process is accepting you may slip and fall along the way. With every resolution is a good chance of slipping before you finally achieve your goal.

Success depends on how you accept the slips. Is a slip a reason stop or something you chalk up to experience? Do you take pride in the fact you are making a serious effort or do you just admit defeat? You have a choice in how you deal with every step of your progress. The choice determines if you continue or quit.

Goals setting should be like mapping out a long road trip. If you plan rest stops where you can enjoy the moment, the trip will be more fun. Rest stops are the same as short-term goals that take you on to your long-term goal. Celebrating each rest stop give you positive reinforcement. Use common sense and make sure the celebration is not counter productive to your goal. If you just lost weight, do not celebrate with fattening foods. Using a girlfriend or boyfriend as part of your reward adds to the celebrations. A part of short-term goal setting is after you achieve one, you set another. That is using celebration as a motivation tool. If you miss your goal, celebrate the effort and keep going.

The number one reason for failure of a goal is to aiming for unrealistic resolution. The number two reason for failure is to dwell on what you have not achieved. Do you want to know best way to bypass the stress of the New Year’s resolution? Do not make one. Instead, think on how you can improve the positives in your life. Do not use the negative in your life to make a positive. Focus on building upon the positive. Positives are a symbol of successes. Successes are a source of relief from stress.