4 tips for setting New Year’s resolutions you can stick with

New Year's Eve is a great time think about what kinds of changes you'd like to make in the upcoming year. If you find it difficult to set goals and commit to your resolutions, as many people do, here are a few tips to help you make positive changes this year.

It's great to have big goals, but setting your sights too high is going to make it harder to achieve your aspirations. The best way to make sure that you can reach your goals is to make them attainable.

• Instead of resolving to cut out sugar entirely, lose 50 pounds or exercise every day, think about setting more realistic goals, such as cutting out one sugary food you eat, losing five pounds or hitting the gym three times a week.

By breaking it down into smaller steps you won't find yourself overwhelmed by the gargantuan task ahead. What's more, attaining the goal becomes a reward in itself, which encourages you to continue setting additional (equally realistic) goals.

When it comes to reaching your goals, it helps when you don't keep them a secret.

• Tell your friends and family members and don't be afraid to ask for their support. It helps to have people around who are interested in helping you and care about seeing you improve.
• One of the best things you can do is to find a friend with a similar resolution and figure out ways to help motivate each other. For example, exercise, diets or taking a new class is always more fun and encouraging with a companion to cheer you on.

It's important to be kind to yourself while you're working towards meeting your goals.

• Instead of criticizing yourself, set up a reward system to reinforce your positive behaviour. It could be something as simple as a "point system," whereby if you stick with your exercise schedule, for example, treat yourself to a movie at the end of the week with a friend.

Celebrating your success is a much more effective way of changing than coming down on yourself for your mistakes. Keep in mind that nobody is perfect and we all slip up from time to time.

If you start to falter on your goals a few weeks in, don't give up.

• Remember that everyone has ups and downs when it comes to goal setting.
• If you fall short of your goals, just start over again.
• Tell yourself that you'll stick to it for 24 hours and over time you'll get right back on track.

One thing that helps is to remember what you're trying to achieve and why, then writing them down. It helps to make them tangible.

Even with the best intentions, setting New Year's resolutions that you can stick to are always a challenge. But by being realistic with your expectations, having a support network and staying positive, it's not impossible to stay on track towards a new-and-improved you.